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The internet’s revolutionary impact on communication, information access and business transactions exemplifies how technology can reshape human behaviour. Similarly, cyber-physical systems (CPSs) hold immense potential to transform our interaction and control of the physical environment. This study investigates the challenges hindering the adoption of CPSs in Nigeria’s construction industry, aiming to pave the way for a more sustainable future in construction.

This study examined challenges related to CPSs in Nigerian sustainable construction projects. Data were gathered through a literature review and a questionnaire survey of Lagos-based construction professionals (architects, quantity surveyors, engineers and builders). Statistical methods were used to analyse the data. Mean and standard deviation determined respondents’ opinions’ central tendency and variability. The data’s suitability for factor analysis was confirmed through Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s sphericity tests, indicating strong correlations between variables. Factor analysis subsequently identified key challenges hindering CPSs implementation in Nigerian construction.

The mean and standard deviation analysis findings indicated that the most significant challenges of CPSs for sustainable construction projects in Nigeria are lack of awareness, inadequate public–private partnership, professional complacencies, data overload and lack of capital. In addition, the analysis was also conducted using factor analysis, which includes five groupings: financial inhibition, management barrier, geopolitical inhibition, national security and lack of awareness.

This study recommended that the challenges listed in this study should be considered and worked on through financial, political and professional support of CPSs for sustainable construction projects, such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) programmes and national awareness programmes.

In recent times, the construction industry is being influenced by technological innovations when delivering a better, more effective and efficient desired project, cyber-physical systems (CPSs) offer a coupling of the physical and engineered systems by monitoring, coordinating, controlling and integrating their operations. This study aims to examine the level of awareness of professionals and usage of CPSs for construction projects in Nigerian construction industry.

The target population for this study was the professionals in the construction industry consisting Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Engineers and Builders. Data collection was through the use of a structured questionnaire administered to the target population. The data was analyzed by using statistical tools.

This study concluded that the construction professionals in the Nigerian construction industry are mostly aware about the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, global positioning system, microphone, speakers and camera as the most widely used CPSs in construction industry. HVAC systems was also found to be the mostly adopted technologies in the construction industry.

This study recommended that platforms that increase the awareness and encourage the usage of CPSs in construction industry should be encouraged by stakeholders concerned with management of construction projects. Such include electronic construction and adoption of blockchain technology.

Employability skills have transformed from the acquisition of university degrees to possessions of cognate skills other than only degrees that can help employees secure employment in contemporary work environments. This study evaluates essential skills that will prepare millennia of youths and graduates for employment in the present job market. The study investigated four major hypotheses to underscore the employability opportunities of graduates in challenging 21st-century work environments.

To clearly gain an understanding of women’s disparity in society, the study employed a qualitative approach to evaluate the incidence of gender prejudice in a men’s dominant world. The study utilised two distinguished sampling strategies, purposive and snowballing sampling techniques, which were deemed suitable and useful due to the nature of the study. The study recruited 42 participants by conducting semi-structured interview sessions for the study. The study employed a deductive approach to analyse the data obtained from participants. A thematic content analysis was used to take away prejudice and establish an overarching impression of the interviewed data. Atlas.ti was used to analyse the transcribed interview data from the participants to establish common themes from the surveyed informants.

The results of this investigation indicated that there is a deep-rooted trend of institutionalised men’s dominance in politics and religious leadership. Women perceived less representation and men dominated the two domains of existence in their local environment. The study established that women are optimistic about a turnaround narrative on gender equality in politics and religious leadership. They expressed their concern about strengthened public debate and campaigns on women’s representation, and against gender discrimination. The study further shows that women are influencing the ethical and moral sense for change against women’s neglect in society. They expressed their concerns against the selection of people into political offices for elected political posts and observed the peculiarity of political godfathers fixing their favourite men into those offices.

The study discovered that women are leading campaigns for their representation in politics as well as church leadership today. The novelty of this study bothering around two domains of women’s lives – politics and religion, in particular, church leadership. These have not been evidence before in a study.