NIGERIA- CHINA RELATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA 2015-2023

The most contentious issue has been the perceived marginalization of the local workforce. A persistent criticism is that Chinese firms, such as those handling major rail and construction projects, predominantly employ Chinese nationals for skilled and even semi-skilled positions, limiting opportunities for local skills acquisition and technology transfer. This has fueled public resentment and occasional protests, creating social friction in host communities. The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of the Nigeria-China relations and infrastructural development in Nigeria. The research was based on dependency theory propounded by Raul Prebisch in 1960s. The study design was ex-post facto research design and secondary sources including journal article, text books, magazine newspapers, and institutional documents were employed to obtain the study data. Nigeria- China- relations significantly enhanced Nigeria's digital, transport, and power infrastructure, boosting connectivity and capacity. However, this progress was accompanied by rising debt, limited indigenous technology transfer, and challenges in local content integration, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability and self-reliance of Nigeria's technological and infrastructural development. It was recommended that Future engagements must pivot from purely contractor-financier models to partnerships that explicitly prioritize Nigerian equity and local content. The Nigerian government should negotiate clauses mandating a significant percentage of local labour, materials, and sub-contracting. To move beyond infrastructure delivery to genuine capability building, cooperation agreements must be restructured. This involves creating enforceable mandates for Chinese companies to establish joint research and development centers with Nigerian universities, implement structured mentorship and apprenticeship programs for Nigerian engineers, and facilitate the local manufacturing of components.