Orientation: Emotional intelligence (EI) has attracted sustained scholarly interest as a determinant of workplace attitudes and behaviours. Within the Nigerian manufacturing context, the relationship between EI and employee commitment remained insufficiently examined at both the conceptual and theoretical levels. Research Purpose: This article reviewed the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical literature on EI and employee commitment, with the aim of synthesising existing knowledge and identifying gaps relevant to the Nigerian organisational context. Motivation for the Study: Existing studies on EI and commitment have concentrated on healthcare, education, and banking sectors in Western and Asian settings. The African manufacturing sector, where high power distance and collectivist norms shape emotional expression, remained underexplored in the empirical literature. Research Approach/Design and Method: A systematic theoretical review was conducted. Conceptual frameworks of EI were examined across the ability-based model (Mayer & Salovey, 1997), the Goleman competency model (1995, 1998), and the Bar-On model (1997). The Three-Component Model of Commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991, 1997) was applied as the dependent variable framework. Empirical studies were drawn from 20 peer-reviewed sources published between 2014 and 2023 across multiple national contexts. Main Findings: The review established consistent positive associations between EI components - specifically emotional selfawareness, self-regulation, empathy, and conflict management - and the three dimensions of employee commitment. The incremental predictive validity of EI over personality traits and the contextual specificity of its effects in African organisational settings, however, warrant further empirical scrutiny. Practical/ManagerialImplications: Organisations in Nigeria's manufacturing sector could benefit from embedding EI competency frameworks in recruitment, leadership development, and performance management systems. Targeted EI training programmes aligned with local cultural norms may strengthen affective and normative commitment among employees. Contribution/Value-Add:Thisarticle provides a theoretically grounded synthesis of EI and commitment research, identifies gaps in the African manufacturing literature, and proposes a conceptual foundation for future quantitative and mixed-methods investigations in the Nigerian private sector.