By ABAH ADAH, Abuja
The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at strengthening engineering regulation, improving public safety and enhancing the quality of engineering education and practice across the country.
The Council disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday, during a press briefing ahead of its 34th Engineering Assembly, scheduled to hold from July 13 to 15, 2026, at the Velodrome, Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking at the briefing, COREN President, Prof. Sadiq Zubair Abubakar, said this year’s Assembly, themed: “Advancing Public Safety in Nigeria through Strategic Engineering Regulation, Enforcement, and a Tiered Sanctioning Regime” would focus on strengthening regulatory oversight and preventing engineering failures through stricter enforcement of professional standards.
He described engineering as the backbone of national development, noting that the profession remains critical to the delivery of the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda through investments in transportation, housing, energy, mining, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and other strategic sectors.
Abubakar expressed concern over recurring cases of building collapse, infrastructure failures, industrial accidents and the activities of unqualified persons posing as engineers, stressing that such incidents undermine public confidence and endanger lives.
According to him, COREN is adopting a new regulatory philosophy centred on strategic engineering regulation, proactive monitoring, risk-based oversight, continuous professional development and stronger collaboration with stakeholders to improve compliance with engineering laws and standards.
He said the council had strengthened its Engineering Regulation, Monitoring and Enforcement (ERME) framework through increased inspections, professional audits, investigations and enforcement activities across major infrastructure projects nationwide.
Among the achievements recorded since the 33rd Engineering Assembly, the COREN President highlighted the enforcement of admission quotas for engineering programmes in Nigerian universities following approvals by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
He said the Council had also reintroduced the mandatory Engineering Residency Programme (ERP) for engineering graduates before the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), alongside the oath-taking and indexing of engineering graduates to improve professional tracking and practical competence.
Abubakar disclosed that COREN had inaugurated five regional steering committees, 22 state technical committees and 22 engineering monitoring committees to strengthen nationwide regulatory oversight.
He added that the Council had trained and certified 239 Engineering Failure and Forensic Investigators, 868 engineering programme implementers and 839 evaluators to improve quality assurance in engineering education and professional practice.
The COREN President further revealed that the Council had accelerated the digital transformation of its operations, enabling online verification of registered engineers and engineering firms from anywhere in the world.
He said significant progress had also been recorded in developing engineering codes and standards, including safety guidelines for the construction sector and engineering guidelines for roads and bridges awaiting national validation.
Abubakar noted that COREN is expanding international collaborations to secure global recognition for Nigeria’s engineering education programmes under international engineering accords.
According to him, the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) recently appointed international reviewers and mentors to assess Nigerian engineering programmes for alignment with global standards.
Despite the progress, he identified persistent quackery, inadequate compliance with engineering standards, weak enforcement, limited resources, infrastructure deterioration and rapid technological changes as major challenges confronting engineering regulation in Nigeria.
To address these issues, Abubakar announced plans to introduce a Tiered Sanctioning Regime, under which disciplinary measures would be proportionate to the severity of professional misconduct, ranging from mandatory retraining to licence suspension, withdrawal and prosecution where necessary.
He said COREN would also pursue amendments to the Engineers Registration Act to strengthen its regulatory powers in line with global best practices.
The council, he added, would continue deploying digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and data analytics, to improve engineering inspections, licensing, compliance monitoring and risk management.
Abubakar called for stronger collaboration among government, academia, professional bodies, industry and development partners to build a culture of professionalism, accountability and public safety.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Main Organising Committee and COREN Vice President, Engr. Olu Ogunduyile, appealed to journalists and members of the public to support the Council’s efforts by reporting individuals engaged in illegal engineering practice.
He said: “You may not be engineers, but you can become whistleblowers. Whenever you see quacks or people carrying out engineering work without the necessary qualifications, report them to us so that appropriate action can be taken.”
Ogunduyile said public support would help reduce incidents of building collapse and improve professionalism within the engineering sector.
He also disclosed that Nigeria would commission a new transformer manufacturing factory in Lagos by September as part of ongoing efforts to deepen local content development and strengthen the country’s industrial capacity.
He urged the media to continue highlighting the positive developments within Nigeria’s engineering sector and the profession’s contributions to national economic growth and infrastructure development.
