Indigenous engineers competent for project executions – COREN

No   country   can   develop technologically  by   depending   solely   on   the   expertise   of   other nationals, President of Council for the Registration of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Kashim Ali has said. He said this recently when he visited the Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. Ali  said […]

No   country   can   develop technologically  by   depending   solely   on   the   expertise   of   other nationals, President of Council for the Registration of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Kashim Ali has said. He said this recently when he visited the Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

Ali  said  COREN registered engineering personnel must be   given   the   opportunity   to   practice   their profession even as he described as  misnomer the attitude of  allowing  foreign companies  to  handle major engineering jobs in the  country.  

Ali said, “Indigenous capacity must be developed if we must move forward. 

While,   we   advocate   for   engineering   personnel   to   be   allowed active   participation   in   the   infrastructural   development   process, we must always remind ourselves that to whom much is given, so much is expected. We must be prepared to stand for value for money   in   engineering   projects   to   which   we   are   responsible.”

 The COREN president, however, said  that engineering personnel must hold themselves accountable to their projects and  must   embrace   the   anti-corruption war of the present administration. 

“We recognise that over 90% of the nation’s appropriation is in engineering projects through   which   a   greater   percentage  of   corruption   takes   place.

“Even  though acts  of   corruption  in   engineering  projects  are   not necessarily perpetrated by engineers, they are usually blamed for the occurrence. It can no longer be business as usual. Any   engineering   personnel   involved   in   any   corrupt   practice directly   or   indirectly   will   be   severely sanctioned,” he warned. 

Ali further    advised  engineers to   desist   from  acts   of corruption in engineering projects.  

“It is for these and to ensure that there is total compliance to the COREN regulations that the Engineering   Regulation   Monitoring  (ERM)  was   inaugurated   in 1997.   

The   objectives   of   the   programme   are   to   ensure   that engineering   is   practiced in   Nigeria   in   accordance   to   relevant codes of engineering practice, enforce maintenance of discipline and strict standards of ethics in the practice of the engineering profession in Nigeria and foster speedy acquisition of all relevant engineering   and   technological   skills   by   Nigerians   required   to accelerate   developmental efforts    and    speedy modernization of Nigeria.

ERM is aimed at ensuring that engineering is practised in Nigeria in   line   with   global best   practices.   We   cannot   aford   to   do otherwise,” he said.

He said that ERM   has   been   repackaged   and   repositioned   to   make   it   more  effective. 

“Under the new policy, ERM is now domiciled with the Nigerian   Society   of   Engineers   and   run   by   the   Engineering Associations   of   NSE,   NATE,   NISET   and   NAEC   with   the   Nigerian Police   and   the   Development   Control   Department   of   the   State Government represented in each Inspectorate. 

ERM Inspectors are now to bite, not just to bark. We must carry out the mandate of COREN to the letter. Inspectors are charged to ensure that quacks or impostors no longer have a field day in engineering   projects.   Even   for   bonafide   registered   engineering personnel, there is no  room for  shoddy jobs  or  sharp  practices anymore,”he said.