The deputy governor of Gombe State, Manasseh Jatau, has lamented the low ratio of engineers to Nigeria’s population, calling on the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to promote engineering studies among students.

He gave the advice while declaring open the North-East Regional Engineering Stakeholders’ Summit/Seminar and the Inauguration of the North-East Regional Steering Committee (NERSC) of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) held at the International Conference Centre, Gombe.

The deputy governor emphasised the need for more engineers to serve the growing population, citing the current ratio of one engineer to 2,732 people.

He urged COREN to collaborate with universities to introduce engineering programmes and promote the study of engineering from primary to tertiary levels by inculcating interest in students.

Jatau, who said engineering is essential and the bedrock of innovation and technology, commended engineers in the north east for maintaining high standards, noting the region’s minimal cases of building collapses.

He also called for the full implementation of the summit resolutions to promote sustainability, resilience, and innovation in the engineering profession.

In his address, the chairman of the North-East Regional Steering Committee of COREN, Engineer Muhammad Lawan Abdullahi, said the formation of regional committees was part of COREN’s decentralisation strategy to strengthen regulation and monitoring of engineering practices across Nigeria.

According to him, no region can achieve meaningful development without engineering and thanked the COREN leadership for their commitment to professional excellence.

In his keynote address, the President of COREN, Engineer Sadiq Zubair Abubakar, outlined the Council’s major reforms under its new operational framework guided by the Engineers Registration, and others Act 2018.

He announced the creation of seven regional and 37 state offices to enhance regulatory efficiency at the grassroots.

He also pledged that COREN would strengthen engineering education through the adoption of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) in universities, polytechnics, and technical colleges and introduce Mandatory Engineering Residency Programme (ERP) for graduates before NYSC to bridge the academia-industry gap as well as expand Engineering Regulation, Monitoring, and Enforcement (ERM&E) to 11 key sectors including energy, transport, construction, and telecommunications.

He added that the institutionalisation of Mandatory Continuous Professional Development (MCPD) and financial sustainability strategies would further enhance competence, ethics, and innovation within the profession.

He explained that the regional steering committees would serve as key regulatory hubs to ensure compliance, technical oversight, and stakeholder engagement.

The Registrar of COREN, Engineer O.A.U. Uche, in his remarks, described the ongoing reforms as “transformational and not just administrative,” stressing that the Council’s decentralisation, mandatory residency training, and emphasis on continuous professional development are designed to align Nigerian engineering practice with international standards.

He reaffirmed COREN’s commitment to collaborating with state governments, industries, and academia to advance national development through engineering innovation.