Abia NSE inaugurates regulation monitors to boost engineering practice

SPIRITED to enthrone professionalism within its fold, members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Abia State Chapter, has inaugurated a body known as Engineering Regulation Monitors (ERM).

ERM was formed last week in Umuahia, Abia State, during NSE’s 2015 annual general meeting, Abia State Chapter, held at Women Development Centre, Umuahia. 

According to a member, representing South East in COREN, Chief Uche Ukpabi, ERM has been domiciled with the Nigerian Society of Engineers and run by the group in collaboration with the Nigeria Police and the Development Control Department of the State government represented by each inspectorate. 

Speaking on the theme of the event titled: “Strategies For The Transformation Of Construction Industry In Nigeria”, Ukpabi, a fellow of NSE said that to achieve this objective, “COREN has put some machineries in place namely; establishment of COREN Investigation Panel, Disciplinary Tribunal, Memorandum of Understanding with the ICPC, Immigration Service and strong partnership with the Nigeria Police.

Ukpabi stated that it remains illegal for any tertiary institution to run engineering programme at the degree or higher diploma level without COREN’s accreditation, adding that no firm or person can engage in engineering practice unless such is fully registered by COREN.

“For any person, government or company to engage a non-registered engineering person or consulting firm to execute or participate in doing engineering work, such individual must be accredited,” adding that, COREN is advocating for engineering personnel to be allowed active participation in the infrastructural development process, because a good percentage of government expenditure is in engineering projects”.

In his address, the Chairman of NSE Abia Chapter, Mr. Shedrach Iweha said that both public and private sectors had yearned for best opportunities to enhance the construction industry not just in Nigeria but also in Africa adding that, this had led to series of researches within and outside the continent.

In the case of Nigeria, he listed three terms of reference for meaningful transformation, said to be key to the construction industry in view of the enormity of flaws, mistakes, abuse and irregularities currently being witnessed in the industry.

These include t identify, search, and collate all relevant state/ regional laws and policies on modalities for the industry; to identify and collate all government policies/guidelines for the protection of the engineering personnel and to work out modalities to elicit compliance at state and national levels, review and create framework for the erection of a unit within the Branches of NSE.

This he said would act as a hub for foreign engineering companies seeking for partnership in engineering in the state or foreign company stakeholders in the industry.

In his keynote address, Sir Chris Okoye posited that the country is witnessing a defining moment in its history because the current federal government is planning and visioning to chart a formidable way forward for the much anticipated giant lead in Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

Okoye argued that the issues that will attract the current the Nigerian President and Governors’ attention is the reform of the construction industry as a sustainable instrument for re-engineering of the economy.

He listed reasons for the above observation, namely; the contribution of the construction industry to the GDP on economy which he stated is 12 to 13 percent; the employment of the industry of 10-15percent of the working population, its accounting for about 50 percent of the gross fixed capital formation, construction activity that is relatively labour intensive; government being the largest investor in construction; management, administration and regulation of the Construction industry that lacked coordination and thus remains in a disjointed condition and has not been able to mobilize the right institutional/legal mechanisms to exploit the enormous capabilities and capacities of the industry.
Also, Mr. Adekunle Mokuolu in his lecture titled “ Strategies For Transformation of Construction Industry In Nigeria”, he said that regulation and enforcement of the construction industry must be regulated through laws that would protect the participating professionals, financiers and Contractors.
According to him, laboratories must be established to test all processes and materials in order to ensure their compliance with specified standards. “The strategy for transformation of the industry in Nigeria can only be achieved through the attitude of being ‘your brother’s keeper’ underpinned by adherence to professional ethics and integrity. Construction industry will always thrive because ‘ nothing is in its finished state’ and it is the only guaranteed and sustainable source of job creation”, said Mokuolu.

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