Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN

The 18^th edition of Engineering Assembly held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on August 11 & 12 2009 was attended by the representative of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua, GCFR. It was also attended by the immediate past President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Engr. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, FNSE, GCFR and Federal Ministers of Works, Housing and Urban Development, Sports, FCT and Power.

Governors of Edo and Yobe States were represented.

There were also over 3,000 engineers, engineering technologists, technicians and craftsmen in attendance.

Nine Technical Papers were presented and discussed, including one from the immediate past President of the American Society for Engineering Education, Prof. Sarah Rajala.

Speakers decried the state of engineering education and infrastructure as fallout of poor funding of engineering faculties, low progression in academic profession, and overuse of inadequate and obsolete training facilities. Challenges such as ill-equipped workshops, obsolete equipment, industrial actions, poor energy supply and limited access to internet resources contribute to the degradation of training in engineering institutions

All these lead to a decline in the state of engineering training.

In order to improve the situation and restore the status of training that will make our indigenous engineers the key to vision ‘20-2020’ and the future development of our infrastructure, it is recommended that:

-         A review of the engineering training curricula to integrate entrepreneurship and programmes aimed at producing global engineers in tune with the Washington Accord, and the provision of legislative backing for internship in engineering is an issue that COREN must pursue with vigour.

-         COREN must pursue implementation of the following Presidential directives

·         That Engineering contracts signed by the public sector containing provision to employ at least two registered engineers.

·         All works departments in the Local, State and Federal Governments must be headed by registered engineers;

·         All engineering projects worth up to five hundred million naira (N500m) must be reserved for indigenous Engineering firms.

·         The Assembly noted the absence of adequate training schools for craftsmen and calls on State Governments to establish at least a technical school with state of the art facilities in each senatorial district.

·          The Assembly noted that in spite of the contributions of the engineering family, response to its demand for an upward review of remuneration in the public sector has not received adequate attention.

Engr. Felix Atume, FNSE, mni

Registrar-COREN

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