HALT BUILDING COLLAPSE NOW..... PERM SEC WORKS & HIUSING MINISTRY CHARGES COREN

Mahmuda Mamman and Engr Adisa Bello

"Come up with implementable plans and guidelines by going back to the drawing board for them to be able to reposition COREN for better performance and impactful services to Nigerians." Mamman charges COREN.

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Development, Mahmuda Mamman has charged the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN to strategize and ensure a halt to incessant cases of building collapse in Nigeria henceforth.

The Permanent Secretary made this disclosure during a courtesy visit of  members of the council led by its Registrar, Engr. (Prof) Adisa Bello to the Headquarters of the Ministry in Abuja.

Mr Mahmuda Mamman, while speaking during the visit, said that COREN, being a Federal Government Recognized Regulatory Body, is vested with the elaborate mandate and powers to check and control building standards in Nigeria. 

To this end, he opined that there should be no more cases of building collapses which he frowned at and termed a bad situation that must be brought to a stop. 

The Permanent Secretary said there seems to be a disconnect somewhere between Nigerian Engineers and COREN, and that COREN, as a matter of urgency proffer an urgent solution to this situation.

Mamman also advised that all regulators in the Engineering body should come together and seek audience with the Ministry of Finance especially as regards the recent Federal Government Policy directive of self funding for all such bodies. 

He further spoke on the idea of the consideration of levies as a way of generating revenues to assist the council. 

He thereafter, charged the council to come up with implementable plans and guidelines by going back to the drawing board for them to be able to reposition COREN for better performance and impactful services to Nigerians.

Mamman, in a statement issued and signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations Department of the ministry, Blessing Lere-Adams, appreciated the visit which he said was very fruitful and he is better informed now than before on the activities of COREN, while also directing that proper checks and registration alongside mandatory monitoring be carried out on construction activities that will end up in Nigerians living in well built solid buildings with confidence without any fear of building collapse, come rain, come sun shine nationwide in Nigeria.

Earlier, the Registrar of COREN, Engr. (Prof) Adisa A Bello, said they were in the Ministry to brief the Perm Secretary on the activities of the Council for the Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria.

The Registrar said COREN is a statutory regulatory organ of the Federal Government of Nigeria, established by Decree No. 55 of 1970 amended by Degree No. 27 of 1992, now Engineers (Registration).

The Registrar also confirmed that by the promulgation of Decree 27 of 1992 , COREN was merely a Registration body of Engineers, and it was then known as Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria. However, with the expansion of its functions in 1992, which now includes Regulation and Control of the Engineering Family, COREN's name was changed to what it is now, but still retaining the acronym, COREN.

Amongst COREN‘S MANDATE ARE : 

It is empowered to:

1. Regulate and control Engineering practice in Nigeria with all its aspects  and ramifications,

2. Ensure that Engineering is practiced by industry, Government and professionals according to acceptable and prescribed standards and abiding by the ethics and cannons of the profession

3. Ensuring that only registered Engineers head Engineering departments and Units

4. Ensuring that without proper registration with COREN, Engineering Practitioners do not progress or function beyond legally prescribed levels among other key mandates of COREN.

Also in attendance were relevant Directors of Engineering Departments of the Ministry who also contributed to the very meaningful discussions.