The President of the Council, Sadiq Abubakar, on Wednesday, announced the restructuring of the body’s operations to ensure optimal service delivery of the engineering profession in the country.
The PUNCH reports that COREN was established by Decree 55 of 1970 as a statutory body of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the mandate to regulate and control the education, training and practice of engineering in all its aspects and ramifications.
Speaking at a press briefing to announce the forthcoming 31st COREN Engineering Assembly, scheduled to hold between August 7 and 9 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, the president explained that an admission quota would determine the maximum number of engineering students a university could admit based on the facilities for teaching and practicals in workshops and laboratories, as with medical students.
Zubair said the model would increase the skills and proficiency of graduates, whether at universities or polytechnics and keep a database of all professionals to eliminate quackery.
He said, “Education is one of the key scorecards of COREN, and I am sure you know when you study the medical profession, there is an admission quota and if your university exceeds the number granted by the medical council, then that university will be sanctioned. If the number of enrolments exceeds your facilities, they will withdraw the certificate.
“Engineering is not anything less, so we have activated that because it is already in our law, we have what we call the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard that defines the maximum number a university can admit in any of its engineering professions based on the facility of teaching and practical in workshop and laboratories, just like the medical students. We have already written to all universities; polytechnics and we are supposed to follow up with enforcement.
“We have had discussions with JAMB to do exactly what they are doing with the medical courses. And from the next academic session, you will not see any university that will admit engineering students more than their capacity.
“Any institution that does that will be put in the spotlight and withdraw the mandate for them to teach just like other professions are doing. We want to make sure that the skill and proficiency of the graduates whether in universities or polytechnics in engineering is sacrosanct.”
Zubair further said the council would deepen its activities in 10 sectors, including the construction industry, to ensure compliance with global standards and diligent and professional practices.
He added that the revamp aims to improve internally generated revenue after the government’s decision to stop funding professional bodies and curtailing further incidents of building collapses.
He said, “The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria under the present leadership is being restructured for more effective and efficient operations and service delivery through promoting professionalism, fostering new and strengthening existing partnerships that would lead to positive reforms in the education, training and practice of the engineering profession in our dear nation.
“The scope of activities for COREN will also be expanded to ten sectors including power, oil and gas, aviation, mining maritime telecommunications, transport, agro-allied, manufacturing and production in addition to the construction industry.”
Giving further details on the Engineering General Assembly, themed, “Entrenching and strengthening engineering practitioners’ code of conduct for resilient engineering practice in Nigeria’’, the COREN president noted that the annual event would bring all cadres of engineering practitioners together to discuss issues that will take the engineering profession to greater heights.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be the special guest of honour at the event, while the Managing Director of WEMA Bank Plc, Mr. Moruf Oseni would chair the event; and the Board Chairman, Engineering Council, Ghana, Dr. Kwame Boakye, would deliver the keynote address.
