By Abah Adah,
Tinubu, Dangote Task Nigerian Engineers On Professionalism, National Development• As president promises timely completion of all ongoing projects By Abah Adah, AbujaPresident Bola Tinubu and the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, have both called for robust regulation and strict enforcement, underpinned by fair sanctions, for erring engineers in Nigeria.Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the 34th Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, the two leaders stressed that Nigeria must prioritise public safety by holding engineers accountable for negligence and unethical conduct.
This, they argued, is vital to rectifying historical professional breaches and paving the way for unimpeded national development.President Tinubu was represented at the event by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, while Aliko Dangote, who chaired the occasion, was represented by the Dangote Group’s Chief Economist, Professor Hassan Mahmoud. Both leaders noted that engineering failures must no longer be met with weak oversight or reactive regulation.
In his address, President Tinubu stated that Nigeria must transition from a regulatory system that reacts only after disasters occur to one that prevents failures through proactive oversight, enforcement, and accountability. “The responsibility before us is therefore clear. Nigeria must move from engineering regulation that is mostly reactive to engineering regulation that is preventive, data-driven, enforceable, and trusted by the public,” the President said.Tinubu described COREN not simply as a professional register but as a public safety institution, arguing that engineering regulation should primarily protect lives and national assets rather than merely administering professional registrations.He said: “Regulation should not be seen as punishment. Regulation is protection.
It protects the public from incompetence. It protects clients from poor delivery. It protects the government from waste. It protects good engineers from being undercut. It protects investors from failed infrastructure. Most importantly, it protects lives.”The President emphasised that every stage of infrastructure delivery—from planning and design to procurement, construction, supervision, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning—must be guided by competence, integrity, and public safety.Warning that engineering failures carry catastrophic consequences, the President added: “When engineering succeeds, society moves safely.
When engineering fails, lives are lost, investments are wasted, public confidence is damaged, and national development is delayed. Therefore, public safety must remain the first principle of engineering practice.”He argued that effective regulation cannot exist without enforcement, and that enforcement without appropriate penalties fails to deter misconduct.”Engineering is the backbone of national development. But engineering without regulation is risky. Regulation without enforcement is weak. Enforcement without sanctions is ineffective. Sanctions without fairness are unjust. Therefore, what Nigeria needs is a balanced system: strong regulation, fair enforcement, and proportionate sanctions,” Tinubu noted.According to the President, his administration’s unprecedented approach to sustainable infrastructure development is reflected in the durability of its projects. He assured the audience that roads constructed under the current administration are designed to last between 50 and 100 years.
He promised to ensure that all ongoing projects are completed during his tenure. My minister has listed a number of projects that we are executing across the nation, and I want to assure this august gathering that we will do everything possible, by God’s grace, to ensure that these projects are completed—and completed on time. Every road project we are undertaking has a lifespan of between 50 and 100 years. This is a complete departure from past practices, where most completed roads barely lasted five years,” he said.Also speaking at the event, Dangote endorsed stronger disciplinary measures for professional misconduct, asserting that such sanctions must be fair, transparent, and proportionate to the gravity of the offence.He noted that engineering regulation must evolve beyond merely responding to structural failures and must recognise varying degrees of professional misconduct.”There is a clear distinction between administrative oversight, professional negligence, gross misconduct, and deliberate actions. Justice and effective regulation require that these different circumstances be treated differently,” Dangote said.
He added that suspending professional licences may be necessary in cases involving reckless conduct, noting that such practices are already well-established in advanced jurisdictions.”Regulation may require licence suspension, particularly where reckless conduct is involved. This is already reflected in many advanced jurisdictions. The objective is not simply to punish; the objective is to improve professional conduct,” he said.However, Dangote cautioned against attributing every engineering failure solely to individual professionals, pointing to broader systemic challenges that must also be addressed.
He maintained that disciplinary actions must inspire confidence in the regulatory system.”An effective sanction must always be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the risks posed to public safety. Enforcement must be transparent, objective, and consistent, irrespective of status, influence, or institutional affiliation.”The framework should encourage corrective action. There should be zero tolerance for repeat offenders whose actions endanger lives and compromise national infrastructure,” Dangote added.Earlier, in his welcome address, the President of COREN, Professor Sadiq Abubakar, highlighted some of the council’s achievements under his leadership. These include the reintroduction of a mandatory one-year residency/Engineering Residency Programme, ERP, for engineering graduates, new digital verification systems, and nationwide compliance inspections.
He also noted the creation of regional and sectoral enforcement structures, the training and certification of hundreds of investigators and evaluators, and steps taken towards aligning Nigeria with international accreditation standards.Acknowledging the monumental task ahead of Nigerian engineers, the COREN boss said the theme of this year’s assembly—”Advancing Public Safety in Nigeria through Strategic Engineering Regulation, Enforcement and a Tiered Sanction Regime”—reflects one of the most critical statutory responsibilities entrusted to COREN: protecting the public through the robust regulation of engineering practice.
Public safety, he concluded, remains the ultimate measure of engineering success. However, he pointed out that unregistered practitioners, enforcement gaps, funding limitations, and evolving technological and climate risks continue to threaten progress, highlighting the need for stronger risk-based, proactive regulation and sustainable funding.
