Academics and engineering students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, have called on the Federal Government to increase investments in technology infrastructure and practical engineering education, saying Nigeria must address gaps in hands-on learning to remain competitive globally.
The call followed the return of 37 engineering students and two lecturers of the institution from a 20-day hands-on training programme at Zhejiang Polytechnic University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Hangzhou, China.
Speaking with journalists on Saturday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, the Provost of ABUAD’s College of Engineering, Professor Moses Onibonoje, said the programme exposed students to advanced engineering technologies and industry practices that are largely unavailable in Nigeria.
He explained that the practical training followed the completion of a three-month theoretical component in Nigeria, enabling the students to integrate easily into the Chinese institution’s learning environment.
He said, “The participants received hands-on training in programmable logic control systems, digital twin technology, robotic arm design, Computer Numerical Control machines, 2D and 3D printing, coordinate milling machines and advanced metrology equipment.
