By Angela Atabo
President Bola Tinubu has called for a stronger engineering regulatory framework to safeguard lives, improve infrastructure quality and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s engineering sector.
Tinubu said this on Tuesday at the opening of the 34th Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) in Abuja.
The theme of the event was “Advancing Public Safety in Nigeria through Strategic Engineering Regulation, Enforcement and a Tiered Sanction Regime”
The president, represented by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said engineering affects every aspect of citizens’ lives.
According to him, the quality of roads, bridges, buildings, power systems and other infrastructure determines public safety and economic growth.
He added that engineering regulation should move beyond reacting to failures and instead become preventive, data-driven and firmly enforced.
“Engineering is the backbone of national development. But engineering without regulation is risky. Regulation without enforcement is weak.
“Enforcement without sanction is ineffective. Sanctions without fairness are unjust. Therefore, what Nigeria needs is a balanced system, strong regulation, fair enforcement and proportionate sanctions.”
Tinubu said the theme of the assembly was timely, urgent and central to the future of the nation as it placed public safety at the center of engineering regulation in Nigeria.
“When engineering succeeds, society moves safely. When engineering fails, lives are lost, investments are wasted, public confidence is damaged and national development is delayed.
“Therefore, public safety must remain the first principle of engineering practice. COREN occupies a strategic position in this national responsibility,”he said.
Tinubu described COREN as a critical public safety institution whose responsibility goes beyond maintaining a register of engineers to ensuring that engineering practice protects lives and national assets.
The president said regulation should not be viewed as punitive but as a mechanism for protecting the public from incompetence, safeguarding government investments, promoting professionalism and creating confidence for investors.
He explained that every stage of project delivery from planning and design to construction, supervision, maintenance and eventual decommissioning should be guided by competence, integrity and strict compliance with engineering standards.
Tinubu also assured Nigerians that his administration remained committed to delivering durable infrastructure across the country to last between 50 and 100 years serving Nigerians for generations.
The Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, said that quality engineering would reduce project risks and lifecycle costs while improving investor confidence.
Dangote, represented by the company’s Chief Economist, Dr Hassan Mahmud, said countries that attract long-term investment are those with strong engineering standards and effective regulatory institutions.
He said that the demand for infrastructure, industrial facilities, water supply, and digital connectivity was expanding at an unprecedented pace presenting Nigeria with the opportunity to become industrial competitiveness.
“This cannot be built on weak infrastructure. It cannot be built on compromised standards, and it certainly cannot be built where public confidence in engineering systems is undermined.
“Engineering excellence, therefore, is no longer a mere professional objective.
“It is a strategic economic imperative. The World Bank estimated it meant to meet growth and its development and climate objectives. Nigeria alone faces a substantial infrastructure financing deficit.”
According to Dangote, every naira, every dollar must deliver assets that are safe, resilient, efficient, and capable of serving future generations.
“That is why engineering regulation matters. Good regulation is often misunderstood but in reality it is an investment enabler.”
Dangote said that safety should never be compromised for cost savings, noting that effective engineering regulation encourages professionalism, accountability and sustainable development.
In his address, COREN President and Chairman of Council, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, said the council had made significant progress in strengthening engineering education, professional regulation and public protection.
Abubakar said COREN had trained hundreds of investigators, programme evaluators and engineering inspectors, while developing sector-specific engineering codes and safety guidelines to improve compliance with national and international standards among others.
He said while the achievements were commendable, several challenges continued to confront the engincering regulatory environment in Nigeria.
He expressed concern over continued activities of unregistered practitioners, poor compliance with engineering standards in some sectors.
He added that inadequate enforcement, limited resources for regulatory activities and growing challenges posed by emerging technologies and climate risks.
According to him, Nigeria’s engineering regulatory system must evolve into a proactive model that predicts and prevents failures rather than responding after disasters occur.
“As we commence the 34th COREN Engineering Assembly, let us be guided by our shared responsibility to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, competence, integrity, and public accountability.
“Together, we can build a regulatory system that not only safeguards public safety but also supports innovation, economic growth, infrastructure resilience, and sustainable national development .” (NAN)
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab