By Shannon Gwamna
Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima has advised that our local engineers should be able to handle up to 90 percent of infrastructural projects in Nigeria .
Shettima represented by Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, said “I think we can put our heads together on the issues of local content. We have very brilliant Nigerian engineers and it is not that we don’t have but the opportunities are limited.
“Go to Borno state, 98 percent of our massive infrastructural projects are ongoing, designed, and executed by local engineers.
There should be a political will and commitment to drive this crucial process for the growth and development of our country.”he stated
He made the disclosure the at the COREN 31st Engineering Assembly, theme: “Entrenching and strengthening engineering practitioner’s code of conduct for resilient engineering practice in Nigeria” held in Abuja.
He called for the need for effective implementation of the local content to achieve a sustainable socio-economic transformation in the country.
Similarly, The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Sadiq Abubakar has appealed to the Federal Government to exempt the council from its decision to stop funding professional bodies and councils in the country.
Abubakar who explained that COREN is a regulatory body, saying that the withdrawal of funding would strengthen the capacity of the body.
He reiterated that the council had set up a task force to review COREN operations, budgets, and finances, to develop strategies to be more prudent and, transparent.
“I am sure most of you are aware of the new policy of FGN on non-funding of professional and regulatory bodies in Nigeria effective January 2024. While the Council is presently studying the government directive, I want to use this opportunity to emphasize the fact that COREN is not a professional association but a regulatory body.
“In response to the new reality, the Council has set up a task force to review COREN operations, budgets, finances, etc, and to develop strategies to be more prudent, transparent, accountable, minimize leakages, identify new sources of and increase of IGR, review fees chargeable, develop new modes of engagement, service delivery and discharge of its mandate.
“The Council is confident that with proper and better planning, operations, including deployment of technologies, outsourcing, collaboration, etc the new policy of FGN would further strengthen COREN to facilitate the discharge of core mandate”, he said.
Also speaking, the keynote speaker Board Chairman,
Practitioner’s Code Of Conduct for Resilient
Engineering Council, Ghana, Ing. Dr. Kwame A. Boakye,
who spoke on the topic: Entrenching and Strengthening Engineering
Board Chairman,
Practitioner’s Code Of Conduct for Resilient Engagement practice in Nigeria , said Engineering career is a journey that must be traveled throughout life.
He said with that, there are four distinct states in engineering career which are Unconscious Incompetence,Conscious Conscious
Competence.
He said that engineers must embarked on training to become an engineering, also a need for them to apply and receive license from COREN and aspire to move into state of Unconscious Competence.
Others are seminars, workshops training in essential non-engineering such as
accounting, finance, marketing, human resource, and
development in report writing among others .
Meanwhile, The Managing Director of Wema Bank PLC, Moruf Oseni, said Nigeria was in dire need of world-class engineering firms and resources that will drive its sacred mandate.
He said that COREN as a regulatory body plays a pivotal role in the nation’s socio-economic agenda.
Represented by Wole Akinleye, Oseni who was the chairman of the occasion, said for effectiveness, COREN’s role must be guided by a robust Code of Conduct that serves as a moral compass to guide every decision.