Nigeria (and indeed sub-Saharan Africa) represents virgin territory for the software industry and the field in turn presents huge opportunities for the region within the context of an expanding global economy. It is well known that the software industry is the only one that wealth can be created from zero or near-zero capital – only intellectual capital is needed. There is therefore the need for Nigeria to grow its own crop of software engineers as a force for sustainable socio-economic development. The philosophy and mission statement underlying the programmes in Software Engineering is aimed at achieving the goals and objectives of the National Policy on industrialisation and self–reliance. The general philosophy therefore is to produce graduates with high academic and ethical standards and adequate practical exposure for self-employment as well as being of immediate value to the software industry and the community in general.

(a)Broad–based foundation in Computing, Science and Engineering and Technology as well as specialised knowledge and practice in Software Engineering;
(b)Practical exposure to application of Software Engineering to problem solving;
(c)Adequate training in human and organisational behaviour and management in the software development life-cycle;
(d)Developing in the products' entrepreneurial knowledge, a sense of public responsibility and a spirit of self-reliance;
(e)Nurturing of partnership between the institution and the software industry for effective programme delivery;
(f)Creating an awareness and understanding of the moral, ethical, legal, and professional obligations needed to function as part of the computing ecosystem while protecting human health and welfare and the environment in a global society; and
(g)Creating an awareness and understanding of the need to develop leadership and team building skills to maximise the benefits of Software Engineering education and its application to solving problems