By Chimezie Godfrey
The Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has said that it recorded alot of accomplishments that had great impact on the regulation of engineering profession in Nigerian in the year 2019.
The council made this assertion on Thursday in Abuja at a press briefing on the outcome of the last quarter council meeting for 2019.
According to Engr, Ali A. Rabiu the President, COREN, the council undertook series of very important activities that made huge impact on the engineering profession in Nigeria.
He pointed out that one of those achievements was the signing into law the engineering registration amendment act by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said, “Like we are already aware, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, 18th of March, 2019 signed the engineers amendment act into law thereby giving the council far reaching powers in enhancing prosecutorial powers, and strengthening it’s administration.
“Also, expanding the quality and scope of its regulations, increasing the number of council members, improving sources of funds, strengthening the practice and professional development of engineering profession, establishing an engineering regulation monitoring department within the council and strengthening the definition and concept of the practice of engineering.
“COREN had over the years achieved some degree of success in the areas of registration of engineering practitioners, accreditation of courses in tertiary institutions and training of practitioners.
“However, the council had not been able to enforce rules and codes of practice due to weak laws, inadequate funding and inconsistency in government policies thereby necessitating the call for a concerted effort at the review of the COREN Act which was eventually assented to by Mr. President.”
Rabiu said that an 18- man strategic implementation committee for the new COREN Act was inaugurated by the President and himself with the sole objective to unpack the key issues in the Act with the view to developing a roadmap for effective implementation.
The President of the COREN council also inaugurated an engineering accreditation board which is required for COREN to become a provisional signatory to the Washington Accord in its quest to internationalize its engineering qualifications to enhance mobility of its engineering practitioners.
He disclosed that COREN has carried out accreditation of engineering programmes in the Nigerian Universities, adding that it has also collaborated with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to carry out accreditation of engineering programmes in Polytechnics.
He added that during the period under review, COREN acccreditation teams has visited some Institutions to acredit different programs.
He said under the Universities, 12 institutions were visited, 44 programmes were assessed, 34 programmes had full accreditation and 10 programmes had interim accreditation, while under the Polytechnics, 19 institutions were visited and 31 programmes were assessed.
Other achievements made by the council in the 2019 as outlined by the President of the council are inauguration of committee on regulations and guidelines for registration, and registration of engineering practitioners and firms.
Others are the establishment of the Engineering Regulation Monitoring National Technical Committee to strengthening its regulatory powers for effective delivery using its State and Zonal Inspectorates.
On ERM visitations to organizations and building collapse sites between January to December 2019, he said actions are being taken on the 9 cases of collapse building but added that these actions are still at the level of investigations.
Rabiu promised that COREN has a lot of activities planned in the coming year 2020. Among these activities are the inauguration of ERM National Technical Committee (NTC) and ERM State Technical Committees (STC), among others.
He urged members of the press to support COREN in the task of controlling and regulating the practice of engineering Nigeria by giving adequate publicity to its activities and in particular educating the general public on the laws regulating the practice of engineering.
