News
Reforms: COREN creates new inspectorates in 6 geo-political zones
(Photo: President of COREN, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, Vice President of COREN (left) Mr Ola Olu Ogunduyile and Prof. Adisa Bello, Registrar of COREN.)
The Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) on Wednesday, says it is expanding its departments into inspectorates across the six geopolitical zones to foster effective and efficient operations.
The President of COREN Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, stated this at a news conference to announce the upcoming 31st Engineering Assembly slated for Aug.7 to 9 in Abuja.
He said the theme of the event is: ‘Entrenching and Strengthening Engineering Practitioners Code of Conduct for Resilient Engineering Practice in Nigeria’.
He said that the event would bring all cadres of engineering practitioners together, to brainstorm on issues that would lift the profession to greater heights.
The president said that participation was compulsory for all members of the council.
Abubakar said that directorates would create a robust and responsive structure, that would allow the council express itself as a regulator in line with best global practice.
“COREN under the present leadership is being restructured for more effective and efficient operations and service delivery through promoting professionalism, fostering new and strengthening existing partnerships.
“This would lead to positive reforms in the education, training and practice of the engineering profession in our dear Nation.
“The roadmap would ensure that the existing technical departments are strengthened and expanded from five to eight.
“The new operational structure of COREN departments translated into Inspectorates will be cascaded from headquarters to six geopolitical zones and ultimately to all states.
“This would be re-enforced with the establishment of partnerships with key stakeholders, using varied modes of engagement to ensure effective coverage of the entire country.”
Abubakar said that the scope of activities of the council would also be expanded to 10 sectors, including power, oil and gas, aviation, mining, maritime and telecommunications.
Other sectors are Transport, Agro-Allied, Manufacturing and Production in addition to the Construction industry.
He said that the scope of the activities of COREN comprised three major components of the mandate of the council, which are the control and regulation of engineering education.
Others are control and regulation of engineering training, control and regulation of engineering practice.
According to him, before now the council had not been assertive on its control and regulation of its mandate like the health sector education.
“If a university would exceed the quota that the medical council or the dental or pharmaceutical council will give it, would be sanctioned.
“If the number of enrollment exceed your facilities that is for practical and teaching they will descend on you.
“We have activated that, it is already in our law, we have what we call the BMAS that defines the maximum number a university can admit students in any of the engineering profession.
“Based on the facilities of teaching, workshops and laboratories, just like medical students we have already written to universities and polytechnics and we are supposed to follow up with enforcement.
“We want to make sure that the skill and the proficiency of graduates whether in university or in polytechnic is sacrosanct.
“We have written to all universities all polytechnics that there must be oath taking of engineering graduates.
“And if you don’t comply we are going to sanction you and our inspectorates at the state level, will begin to invite you when the university or polytechnic is graduating its engineers,” Abubakar said.
NAN reports that the Assembly is an annual event, which features presentations and discussions relevant to the theme of the year by eminent Practitioners, scholars and technocrats.
It is designed to foster continuous professional development of engineering Practitioners among other benefits.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Sector Command, has confirmed the death of a woman in an accident at Okpoko Market on the Asaba-Onitsha Road.
The Sector Commander, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, who confirmed the accident to journalists in Awka on Thursday, said that the woman was hit while she was crossing the road.
He said that the accident, which occurred on Wednesday, involved a commercial tow truck with registration number XA550BMA.
“Eyewitness report reaching us indicates that the truck was towing a vehicle in an uncontrollable speed along the axis.
“The vehicle that was being towed got detached from the tow truck.
“It hit and killed a female adult, who was said to be crossing the road, while the tow truck continued its movement.
“FRSC rescue team came to the scene and took the woman to Toronto Hospital, Onitsha, where she was confirmed dead and her body deposited at the hospital’s mortuary,” he said.
While sympathising with the family of the dead, the sector commander urged motorists, especially tow truck drivers, to exercise a high level of professionalism.
He also urged the drivers to always use standard equipment and avoid speeding.
The Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, said the state government’s maize palliative to members of the association made a positive impact on the sector.
Iyiola said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
“We received about 150,000 tons of maize in February from the Lagos State government as palliative to cushion the effect of high feed prices.
“The major benefit of the palliative is that it actually cushioned the cost of production for most poultry farmers in the state.
“The palliative was beneficial as it made the cost of some poultry produce, especially eggs to drop,” Iyiola said.
He noted that prior to the palliative, a crate of egg was sold between N3,500 and N3,700 at the farm gate, but after the palliative, it now sells between N3,200 and N3,400.
According to the PAN chair, retailers and middlemen who sell from N3,800 to N4,200 do that for their personal gain.
“We have urged our members to sell their eggs at reasonable prices following the receipt of the palliative from the government.
“We appreciate the Lagos State government for the palliative but we also urge the federal government to do likewise, to further reduce the cost of production in the sector.
“This will consequently lead to drop in the prices of all poultry produce across board,” he said.
He said the palliative was shared among financial members of the association at no extra cost.
“As an association we shared the grains equally across PAN’s eight zones in the state equally. We also mandated each zone not the sell even a grain of the maize.
“We, however, considered new poultry farmers who wanted to the join the association as beneficiaries of the palliative,” said Iyiola.
He noted that through the palliative, more poultry farmers were recruited into the association.
“The maize was shared only to poultry farmers and not feed millers, it is the major component of poultry feed formulation,” he said.
Woman killed while crossing road in Anambra
LASG’s maize palliative impactful, says poultry association chair
Fagbemi warns against obstructing EFCC from performing its lawful duty
BDCs now buying dollar at ₦980 — ABCON President
Osun Poly Student, Olanrewaju Olatona killed by hit-and-run one-way driver
Seplat Energy celebrates a decade of Dual Listing with Bell Ringing Ceremony at Nigerian Stock Exchange
3 teens arrested in Germany for allegedly plotting terror attack
Breaking…Naira abuse: Court sentences Bobrisky to 6 months in custody
Lagos Court Grants Emefiele N50m Bail
