Engr. Dr. Umar Buba Bindir, Founder of the Bindir Knowledge Centre, Yola, has identified innovation-driven engineering, integrated policymaking, and meaningful research as the only viable pathway to Nigeria’s sustainable development, warning that there is “no shortcut or magic” to nation-building.

Bindir stated this on Tuesday during the second day of the 5th Engineering Conference organised by the Faculty of Engineering, Bayero University Kano (BUK), held at the Dangote Business School.

The conference, themed “Engineering Innovations and Economic Policies: Driving Sustainable Industrial Growth in Nigeria,” focused on repositioning Nigeria from oil dependency to a diversified, innovation-led economy anchored on engineering, technology, and effective policy implementation.

Speaking on innovation and national development, Dr. Bindir said Nigeria’s future depends on deliberately equipping young people with relevant skills, modern technology, and competence to establish manufacturing industries, build enterprises, and create employment capable of generating and recycling wealth within the economy.

According to him, sustainable development can only be achieved through the acquisition of appropriate technologies, continuous adaptation of technological systems, and the deliberate cultivation of a national culture of effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency.

“There is no other way to develop a nation than to leverage knowledge, technology, and innovation. That is how you skill your youth, grow your economy, and enable young people to take advantage of their own economic space,” he said.

Bindir noted that his commitment to innovation dates back to his graduation in the 1980s, stressing that Nigeria’s development efforts often fail due to weak consistency and poor sustainability in policy execution.

He described Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education as “factories of knowledge” responsible for producing intellectually prepared citizens capable of solving real-life problems in critical sectors such as water, housing, agriculture, healthcare, and infrastructure.

While acknowledging Nigeria’s rich human capital, Bindir expressed concern that the country has failed to adopt the right policies to harness this potential effectively.

“Nigeria is very rich in intellectual energy, but unfortunately, we are not forging the right policies, nor are we serious enough to sustain innovation efforts until they become a national culture,” he said.

He further criticised Nigeria’s policymaking framework, describing it as highly disintegrated, with sectors operating in isolation rather than as a coordinated ecosystem.

“There is no policy that can succeed on its own.

Health policy requires infrastructure, education, science, and industrial policies. But we work in silos, driven by a procurement culture focused on contract sharing rather than development,” Bindir said, adding that corruption not lack of intellectual capacity remains Nigeria’s greatest obstacle to progress.

On academic research, Bindir urged lecturers and professors to prioritise environment-specific and problem-solving research, stressing that scholarship must directly address local realities.

“If you are in Kano, research should focus on crops that survive minimal rainfall, heat-resistant housing materials, medicinal plants, and durable road construction suitable for hot climates.

Research must be meaningful, and that meaningfulness is what students will transmit into the economy,” he said.

He also called on government to provide clear political direction, strong moral leadership, and technological orientation, noting that while government does not conduct research or commercialization, its role is to empower the intelligentsia to translate knowledge into practical solutions for society.

Bindir lamented the weak linkage between government, academia, research institutes, and industry, warning that the disconnect has contributed to rising poverty, insecurity, and youth disillusionment.

“In Nigeria, these sectors work separately, and that is why our efforts do not translate into development. Until we fix this through sound policies, credible leadership, and empowered intellectuals, progress will remain slow,” he added.

On his part, Professor Nuraddeen Yusuf of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Bayero University Kano, and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the conference, said the theme was deliberately crafted in response to prevailing national challenges and ongoing economic reforms by the Federal Government.

Professor Yusuf explained that Nigeria’s development aspirations would remain unattainable without effective synergy between government, academia, and industry, noting that policies are often formulated without sufficient engagement with researchers, while industries pursue solutions without tapping into existing academic expertise.

“Government makes policies without fully considering what academia is doing, while industry has its own needs without asking whether solutions already exist within our universities. For a nation to develop, there must be deliberate and sustained collaboration among the three,” he said.

According to him, the conference was designed as a convergence platform for policymakers, scholars, and industry players to exchange ideas, align strategies, and promote engineering-driven national development.

The conference also featured the presentation of awards to outstanding engineering products and innovations that have made significant positive impacts across the country, states, and academic institutions, in recognition of excellence, creativity, and contribution to national development.