For some time now, I have been trying to get serious training in Electric Vehicle (EV) diagnostics and, more importantly, high-voltage battery maintenance.
I am not looking for a two-day seminar where someone explains what an EV is, shows participants a battery and hands them a certificate. My interest is very specific. I want proper practical training in EV diagnostics, high-voltage safety, battery diagnostics, Battery Management Systems (BMS), battery pack dismantling and rebuilding, and fault finding.
I am a civil servant, and I know retirement will come one day. I want to acquire a practical technical skill that I can develop into a second career when that time comes.
The journey has been surprisingly frustrating.
I started by looking for training providers in Nigeria. One of the first organisations I investigated was AutoClinic. I initially became interested in their Ibadan EV training because the information I saw suggested that it was largely practical.
I sent emails.
Then I sent more emails.
I sent countless emails and received no response.
Eventually, I had to start making phone calls. That was when I discovered that the Ibadan centre did not actually offer the EV training I was looking for. I was eventually directed to their Abuja centre.
The Abuja centre was willing to provide high-voltage battery maintenance training and sent me its course information. The cost was around ₦1.3 million.
However, after studying the course content carefully, I was not completely satisfied that it matched the type of specialist training I wanted. I am not interested in spending more than ₦1 million simply because I am desperate to get trained.
So I started looking outside Nigeria.
India became interesting because EV training there appeared considerably cheaper. I investigated several training providers, including DIYguru, and went through several rounds of communication and price negotiations. At one point, the price came down to around $1,000.
But again, I had concerns about the practical component, the payment arrangement and exactly what I would be getting for my money. I wanted to verify everything before committing my money, even going as far as contacting the relevant Indian authorities.
I continued searching.
Then I thought that before spending money to travel abroad, I should exhaust the opportunities available in Nigeria, especially because the Nigerian government has been talking about electric vehicles and the need to develop local technical skills.
That brought me to the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
I discovered that Nigeria actually has National Occupational Standards for the operation and maintenance of electric vehicles. The National Board for Technical Education's database lists Electric Vehicles Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4, while its Technical and Vocational Education and Training application system lists Operation and Maintenance of Electric Vehicles as a training area.
This gave me some hope.
I also found out that the National Automotive Design and Development Council has an Automotive Training Centre in Ikorodu, Lagos.
Since I am in Lagos, I contacted the Ikorodu centre.
Unfortunately, I was told that they do not offer EV training.
That was disappointing, but I decided to move on to the National Board for Technical Education because it is the federal agency responsible for regulating Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions in Nigeria. Its Department of Vocational, Technical and Skills Development is responsible for areas including technical trades, national skills qualifications and skills centres.
I found a telephone number for the National Board for Technical Education and called.
The first number responded that the number was "not in existence."
I found another number and called.
The response was "I am not allowed to call the number."
I found a National Board for Technical Education SERVICOM number and called.
The response was "the called number doesn't have the facility to receive calls."
At that point, I honestly did not know whether to laugh or get angry.
This is the part of trying to acquire new technical skills in Nigeria that is extremely frustrating.
On paper, we have the policies.
We have the programmes.
We have the National Occupational Standards.
We have government agencies responsible for technical education.
We have institutions listed as having approved programmes.
Nigeria even has an official EV training framework that goes as far as Level 4.
But when an ordinary Nigerian who genuinely wants to acquire the skill tries to find out where he can actually register for practical training, the process becomes unnecessarily difficult.
You send emails and receive no response.
You call telephone numbers and they don't work.
You call another number and you are told you are not allowed to call it.
You call another government contact and you are told that the number cannot receive calls.
How are we supposed to develop a technically skilled workforce this way?
I am not asking the government to give me a job.
I am not asking for millions of naira.
I am simply trying to find out where I can obtain proper practical EV training in Nigeria.
I have also completed training in cybersecurity because I have been trying to prepare myself for the future. But competing with young boys and girls for internship positions in cybersecurity is not funny.
You complete the training, obtain certificates and then discover that many entry-level opportunities expect you to start from the bottom and compete with much younger people who can spend several years building their careers.
That is one reason I am seriously considering EV technology. I want to acquire a practical skill where my existing work experience, maturity and ability to learn can still be useful.
I am willing to learn.
I am willing to pay for good training.
I am willing to start from the basics where necessary.
But there has to be a clear pathway to the training.
We keep hearing that electric vehicles are the future. We hear about the need to prepare Nigerian technicians for the transition from internal-combustion vehicles to electric vehicles. We hear about developing local technical capacity.
But someone who genuinely wants to acquire the skill can spend weeks simply trying to find out where the training is actually taking place.
My biggest frustration is not even the cost anymore.
It is the difficulty in getting reliable information from the institutions that are supposed to provide that information.
If a government agency does not offer the training, that is understandable. Simply tell the person where the training is available.
If the programme is only available in another state, tell the person.
If the person is not eligible, explain the requirements.
If there is no funding, say so.
But leaving people to send countless unanswered emails and call telephone numbers that don't work is extremely discouraging.
Maybe someone on Nairaland knows something I don't know.
I am looking for serious, practical EV training in Nigeria, particularly training that covers high-voltage systems, battery diagnostics, Battery Management Systems (BMS), EV fault diagnosis and, eventually, battery repair and rebuilding.
Not a seminar.
Not just theory.
Not a two-day introduction to EVs.
I mean genuine hands-on technical training.
If anyone knows an institution currently offering this type of training, please share.
At this point, I am ready to explore any credible option.
Because honestly, this journey has been frustrating enough.
