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COUNCIL FOR THE REGULATION OF ENGINEERING IN NIGERIA
REGULATING AND CONTROLLING ENGINEERING TRAINING AND PRACTICE
IN NIGERIA
A.
MANDATE OF COREN
The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, 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 practice of
engineering.
This
is to inform the general public, particularly engineering personnel,
engineering consulting firms and their employers that Council is now
fully mobilised to monitor all its regulations and engineering practice
generally and will identify and prosecute all persons or firms engaged
in illegal engineering practice.
Toward
this end the public is further informed that it is illegal:
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For
any firms or persons to engage in engineering practice unless they
are:
Fully registered by COREN to practice in their appropriate cadre
(except engineering personnel still undergoing practical training
e.g. puplic engineers, etc, for the purpose of acquiring the
requisite experience for registration).
Financial up to date in the payment of their practicing fees.
-
For
any person, government or company to: Engage a non-registered
engineering person or consulting firm to execute or participate in
doing engineering work in an engineering project (except engineering
personnel still undergoing practical training e.g. pupil engineers,
etc, for the purpose of acquiring the requisite experience for
registration).
Use a non-engineering personnel to perform engineering functions.
Assign non-engineering functions to engineers below managerial
levels, particularly where the engineering functions are available.
Engage expatriate engineering personnel to do engineering work when
qualified Nigerian engineering personnel are unemployed and
available to be engaged to do such work.
B.
ENGINEERING REGULATIONS MONITORING
COREN has established a network of Inspectors headed in each of the many
zones around the country by a chief Inspector. The Inspectors are very
senior, experienced registered engineers selected from branches of the
Nigerian Society of Engineers in the various zones. These Inspectors,
constituted into teams of four or more members, are empowered to visit
industrial and construction sites as well as company offices and work
locations to ensure that COREN regulations are being observed. Their
indictment of any person or firm will lead to possible prosecution.
Inspectors
will ensure that:
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All
those assigned engineering functions are engineering personnel and
are duly registered by COREN.
-
All
registered engineering personnel have paid their practicing fees.
-
Engineering
personnel are not used for non-engineering jobs when they can
appropriately be engaged in engineering function, and
-
Consulting
firms engaged by Industry or Government for engineering jobs are
fully registered by COREN.
The
Inspectors will also ascertain that engineering personnel not yet
registered by COREN are not employed on or promoted to positions beyond
the following levels:
-
Unregistered
engineers NOT TO BE APPOINTED OR PROMOTED BEYOND the level of Senior
Manager or equivalent (Grade Level 10).
-
Unregistered
technologists in engineering NOT TO BE APPOINTED OR PROMOTED BEYOND
the level of Principal Technologists (GL.10).
-
Unregistered
technician NOT TO BE PROMOTED OR APPOINTED BEYOND the level of
FOREMAN or Equivalent (GL.06)
C.
ENGINEERING TRAINING
It is illegal for any tertiary institution to run engineering programmes
at the University degree and Higher National Diploma Levels without full
accreditation of COREN. Defaulting institutions shall be compelled to
close down such programmes instantly.
D.
INFORMATION ON ENGINEERING PRACTICE
The general public is hereby warned that it is illegal and an offence
punishable by fine or imprisonment as prescribed by Decree 55/70 to
engage non- engineering personnel to do engineering work. By law,
engineering practice is defined to include any professional service or
creative work requiring the application of special knowledge of
mathematics, physics and engineering in form of consultation, invention,
discovery, valuation, research and teaching in recognized engineering
institution, planning, operation, maintenance, supervision of
construction and installation involving investigating, advising,
operating, evaluating, measuring, planning, designing, specifying,
laying and directing, constructing, commissioning, inspecting or testing
in connection with any public or private utilities, structures,
buildings, machines, equipment, processes works or projects.
The
Federal civil Service commission, the States Civil Service commission,
the local Government Service commissions, the Federal and State
government parastatals and companies and industries within the organized
private sectors shall in particular ensure compliance with COREN's
regulation and guidelines.
COREN
is determined and will continue to work for the promotion and
application of good and universally acceptable engineering practices in
Nigeria towards the cherished technological development of our great
country Nigeria.
ENGR.
FELIX ATUME, FNSE, mni
REGISTRAR
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