The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has urged Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to take full advantage of the new Engineers (Registration, ETC) Amendment Act 2019 to improve upon its regulatory functions and sanitize the Profession by ridding it of quacks.
According to the group, the signing into law of the Act by President Muhamadu Buhari has opened a new chapter in the history of COREN, particularly in its pursuit of ethical standard, safety and the need to boost employment in the sector.
BMO, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, stated that this is unprecedented and yet another reminder of the President’s vow to leave a legacy in all sectors of the economy.
BMO recalled that COREN is a body set up by the Decrees 55/70 and 27/92 (now Acts 110). The Decrees empowered the Council to regulate and control the training and practice of engineering in Nigeria and to ensure and enforce the registration of all engineering personnel (i.e. Engineers, Engineering Technologists, Engineering Technicians, and Engineering Craftsmen) and consulting firms wishing to practice or engage in the practice of engineering.
The group however believes that the new law “is more all-encompassing, has more teeth, and empowers COREN not just to bark but also to bite.
“Specifically, the new law grants COREN powers to prosecute any person or firm that contravenes the provisions of the Act in a court of competent jurisdiction, to regulate industrial training schemes for engineering practitioners and students, to ensure capacity-building and to monitor local content development in the Nigerian engineering industry, through mandatory attachment of Nigerians to expatriate engineers on major projects, to understudy them from inception, among others.”
BMO enjoined COREN to “ensure that the opportunities created in the Act are fully utilised for the benefit of members, particularly in the area of local content and capacity development which has a greater prospect to boost employment in the industry.”
The pro-Buhari group also encouraged COREN to ensure that members follow laid-down rules in the course of discharging their responsibilities, and not to hesitate to discipline and prosecute erring members that may flout any provisions of the law, as this will serve as deterrent to others.
While stressing the importance of the local content of the amendment law to nation’s economy, the BMO called on the management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to work with COREN to ensure that graduates of Engineering and Technology are posted to various engineering departments and companies for their mandatory service to gather relevant professional experience in preparation for future challenges.
