CEO who called Nigerian graduates ‘illiterates’ in viral post is being dragged for being illiterate
Educare CEO, Alex Onyia who recently questioned the quality of graduates leaving Nigerian universities is under fire for allegedly making ignorant claims.
Onyia had narrated an incident at a party for graduates of Mechanical Engineering.
According to him, during the party, the generator developed a fault and none of the graduates could fix it, leading them to employ an artisan to do the job.
He wrote on X: “The Mechanical Engineering final year students of IMO State University were hosting a graduation party. At some point the generator developed fault.
“None of the students had a clue on how to fix it. They all had to start searching for an artisan to fix it. They eventually found someone that came and fixed it.
“The quality of the graduates in most of our state universities and in some federal universities are unemployable.
“I call many of them, illiterate graduates.”
But some netizens took to the comments section to drag Onyia.
Chizom wrote: “ It is not a Mechanical Engineer’s job to fix generators or fix anything.
This narrative is quintessential of an uninformed beer parlor discussion.
So this your argument makes zero sense.”
Ogechukwu Chime educated Onyia as follows: “In Engineering family, we have
- The artisan
- The technician
- The technologist
- The engineer
Each has a defined job role. The artisan and technician works directly on the machince or plant or engine. They are conversant with all the tools. They are the road repairers you meet everyday. Their highest qualification is trade test/apprentice etc.
Engineers are trained to design, they may not know the tools or work directly. They do more of brain job.
So understand the reason. ”
@Morris_Monye: “This might not be the case.
It’s like saying an electrical engineer should know how to repair electric poles or fix transformers.
There is a difference between engineers and technicians.
@Klef_D: “You are a typical example of the uncles that expect any computer Science graduate should be able to repair their broken laptop or fix the photocopier.”
@bsmgmr: “This is a complete joke. Engineers with degrees are trained to design machines. To understand efficiency and systems completely. They KNOW how the generator and all its components work and that is enough. This is akin to claiming civil engineers and architects should know how to lay blocks. Thats masonry and it’s a skill you spend years learning just like CVENG. Poly students and informally trained mechanics can fix gens. That’s another skill. But they cannot convert it into another machine or design another using same parts and cost it. That’s for an engineer.
Like most degrees, the primary job of a degree holding engineer is to THINK. Not to use his hands.
Eager to trash their degrees when you don’t even understand the important roles they are trained to fill.
Blame your country for not having factories to run. You would have seen their import. Or go to Dangote or Bonny or any other factory and see what Mechanical engineers do.”
