The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) says it has reviewed its Engineering Practitioners’ Code of Conduct to be issued to all its registered practitioners for proper engineering practice.

The President of the council, Mr Ali Rabiu made this known at its 30th Engineering Assembly in Abuja on Tuesday.

The theme of the assembly is tagged: “Domestication and Development of Codes, Standards and Regulations as Panacea for Engineering Infrastructure Failures in Nigeria ‘’.

Rabiu said that the code would continue to earn the public’s trust in the areas of safety, health, and welfare.

He said this would also ameliorate the challenges of engineering and shape the practice of the profession.

According to him, to ensure an efficient and sustainable standard in the Nigeria, the council has therefore reviewed and approved the harmonisation of the interviews and rationalised the examiners selection process including their accreditation and training.

He said the COREN professional interview would be used both for the registration with council and the related professional associations.

Rabiu said that there was need to ensure standards in the profession in view of recurring building collapse in the country.

“Since the last assembly, the council had intensified its effort at ensuring discipline and harmony in the practice hence we have revised the engineers’ Code of Conduct to embrace all cadres of engineering.

“The Code of Conduct seeks to preserve the high ethical standards of engineering profession, which is the highest priority statutes of COREN.

“It is also meant to guide COREN registered practitioners in their practices and ethical decision making.

“The document has been carefully compiled to ensure that engineering practice in Nigeria is in line with world best practices.

“So that all professional activities and the practitioner’s disposition towards colleagues, clients, the public, service to humanity are done with utmost care and due diligence,” he said.

Also, the Chairman, of the 30th Engineering Assembly, Dr Taiwo Afolabi said the meeting would engage stakeholders with a view to improving the engineering profession and further sharpen capacity to contribute substantially to the growth of the nation.

“I will like to commend the idea of the Engineering Assembly considering the unique role of engineering practitioners in design, planning, construction and maintenance of infrastructure for sustainable economic development in Nigeria.

“As an entrepreneur, I can attest to the fact that the engineering profession through the engineering family is everyday improving the living standard of mankind through the provision of qualitative infrastructure.
“This is because without the valuable services being rendered by the engineering family, there would not be adequate comfort for mankind.

“The great work of the engineer can be seen in every facet of human life that has to do with water supply, electricity, transportation, aviation and telecommunication, among others,” he said.

Afolabi said that engineering played a vital role in contributing to every facet of lives in a country, hence the role of engineers and technicians could not be overemphasised.

“I can attest to the fact that some of these engineers in our company have deployed their skills and innovative ability to fabricate some of the equipment that currently serve us at our different facilities.

“This has not only reduced our cost of sourcing such equipment abroad in view of the stringent foreign exchange regime but it has also improved our confidence in the competence of our engineers to rise up to be counted whenever the need arises.

“Given the incessant failure of infrastructure in Nigeria in recent times, particularly building structures, I would like to say Kudos to COREN for the theme assigned for this year’s assembly,” he said.

He, therefore, said that the enacting and adaptation of standard codes of engineering practice would ensure a robust engineering practice in the country.

He said that this would also provide solutions to the incessant failure of engineering facilities in Nigeria.

He expressed concern over the building collapses in the country claiming a lot of lives.

“We are often inundated with the ugly recurrence of building structures, roads, etc. This should of course be a worrisome matter to engineers and the public.

“Our construction industry is under a serious challenge. We therefore have cause to worry. Is the problem that of inadequate capacity? Is it in integrity resulting in unethical behaviour in the engineering profession and other related professions in the building environment?

“These questions and more need to be addressed,” he said.

He called on COREN to work hard to restore the apparent loss of confidence in the profession by checking the trend of failed projects in the country.

Afolabi, who frowned at failed infrastructure and projects suggested that the council should look at the dominance of foreign firms in the construction industry.

He, however, called on private sector, state governors as well as the Federal Government to institute a deliberate policy of building indigenous engineering capacity by reserving jobs of certain values for indigenous firms as this would promote growth in the country.

“We must as leaders ask ourselves how much opportunity we have given our indigenous professionals in the industry.

“A situation where most available engineering projects are awarded to foreign firms does not promote capacity building.

“Today, thousands of young engineering graduates roam the streets in search of jobs, while multi-national companies handle projects in values of hundreds of billions of naira,” he added.

The Registrar of the council, Prof. Adisa Bello said that the assembly had over the years created a platform for the evaluation of matters of common interest as they relate to the engineering profession.

Bello said it would help practitioners to be kept abreast of developments within the engineering profession.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr Babatunde Irukere said it was time the body imposed liability to those engaged in unprofessional conduct.

“Codes and standards have link with consumer protection because it underscores the importance of professional regulation. When profession fails, invariably the society fails

“The professional regulation appears a new mechanism. We can expand accountability framework to include liability for those who engage in unprofessional conduct.

“If you work on your standards, we can domesticate the standards under FCCPC and the penalty will not be limited but need liability under the law that is beyond withdrawal of licences,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the assembly were drawn from all cadres of engineering to including engineers, engineering technologists, engineering technicians and engineering craftsmen. (NAN)