Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering was among the first departments approved by AFIT governing Council and NUC in 2018/2019 academic session. Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering is a 5-year or ten semester degree programme. Nine semesters of coursework and laboratory practical’s are spent in the Institute. The long vacation of eight weeks between the 200 level and 300 levels is devoted to SWEP (Students’ Work Experience Programme) in the different works and production centres of the Institute (e.g., Wood mill, batching plant, metal fabrication workshop, bakery, CLMT, construction sites, etc.). At 400 level, students embark on SIWES (Students Industrial Experience Scheme) which involves six months of industrial training, starting immediately after the First Semester. As a result, the first three years, that is, 100, 200, 300 levels, are 100% common to the other Engineering programmes offered in the Faculty of Ground and Communications Engineering.

JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PROGRAMME IN THE DEPARTMENT

Electrical and Electronic engineers are involved in channeling natural resources into various end-uses such as heating, lighting, home appliances, consumer products, computing, sensing, control, and communication. They contribute to systems and devices for power, instrumentation, measurement, communication, management, manufacturing, transportation, etc. They are primarily concerned with the processes of generation, transmission, transformation, control, and utilization of energy or information.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The philosophy of the programs in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering is derived from AFIT Commandant’s Vision, “To transform AFIT into a word class institution and first choice for the study of Aerospace and Defense Engineering related programs. Electrical and Electronic Engineering, as the backbone of a knowledge-based economy, is highly dynamic and versatile. Therefore, the Department’s programmes aim to contribute effectively and sufficiently to the knowledge-based economy by putting in place the curriculum that exposes students to the breadth of electrical engineering and allows them to pursue electives in several areas including circuits, electronics, power systems, communications, signal processing, controls, electromagnetics, optic/devices, and computer engineering. In circuits and electronics, courses provide study of basic electrical devices–energy sources, resistors, inductors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors – and their interconnection in operational networks. Circuits design and analysis techniques are covered with both analog and digital applications. In power systems, courses emphasize the design and applications of motors, generators, transformers, distribution systems, high-voltage devices, and power electronics. In communications signal processing, courses include concepts required for the characterization and manipulation of information-bearing signals, modulation systems, wireless networks, image processing, and detection hardware.

The training is to produce graduates, who will be producers rather than mere consumers of knowledge and who upon graduation, will be functional engineers in industries, research centers, scholars in academia, or successful entrepreneurs in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering sectors.

OBJECTIVES OF THE DEPARTMENT

In order to actualize the philosophy of the Department, emphasis is placed on the following objectives:

• To facilitate a good grasp of a broad spectrum of engineering principles by students.
• To facilitate the acquisition of practical work experience.
• To inculcate entrepreneurial, marketing, and management skills in students.
• To enable students to engage extensively in electrical and electronics engineering research and development.

The evolution of microelectronics and computer technology brought about Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) to become economically the most promising activities. Transmission of information via picture, voice or data is a fundamental prerequisite for the development of modern society. New computer technologies have significantly improved automatic control in processing industry, ship handling, flying an aircraft, sophisticated robots and modern medical equipment. Well-educated professionals, capable of keeping abreast of the latest developments, are the fundamental prerequisite of quick and prestigious development. It is therefore only by excellent education that we can successfully keep pace with modern scientific achievements and with technological challenges.

It is pertinent to note that: sustainable, reliable, and affordable electric power and information services are indispensable to achieving these goals.

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineeringoffers courses that are designed to train students to make original contributions and play leading roles in a global context. In all the programmes students are expected to be able to:

• Design electrical and electronics engineering projects and supervise their constructions.
• Design and make electrical and electronic components, devices and systems.
• Design and develop innovative products and production techniques in the electrical and electronics engineering industries.
• Install and maintain electrical and electronics engineering systems for optimal performance in the local environment.
• Adapt and adopt exogenous technology in order to solve local engineering problems.
• Investigate and develop systems according to specifications.
• Function on multidisciplinary projects; and
• Guide projects from specifications, through design, simulation, production, and testing.

Therefore, the programme is designed to provide the requisite human capacity in electrical and information industries which are essential to drive the government’s development agenda.

The Department is accordingly equipped and positioned to produce the manpower needed by the nation to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Vision 20: 2020 which are centered on poverty eradication and capacity building.

Activities

The activities of the department range from teaching, research, community development, administration and Consultancy.

Teaching

One of the most important function of the university is that of producing the manpower requirements of the society in which it is established. This Department specifically addresses itself to the development of the technical manpower requirement by the Electrical, Communications and other related industries in Nigeria. Courses offered include but are not limited to power, Machines Electronics, computers, Telecommunications and control. Each of these courses has its associated laboratory practical, where theories are tested and technical skill are acquired by the students. Tutorials and lectures are also offered.

Research

Research is an integral part of the functions of this Department. Individual and group of individual undergo in their respective field of interest, the department also play a roles in giving guidance and direction to younger researcher. This will be in addition to the role I giving guidance and directions to the research thesis and project undertaken by both undergraduate and postgraduate student.

Some of the areas of research undertaken and underway in the Department include:

• Renewable Energy Studies
• Reliability Assessment of Power Systems
• Quality of Service
• Wireless Communications
• Embedded System
• Control and Robotic Systems
• Network Engineering
• System Modeling and Optimization

The Department organizes seminars for both staff and postgraduate students. The Department also encourages its staff to attend conferences and workshops, and training courses in other to keep up with development and current thinking in the field of Electrical Engineering.