FG applauds COREN for reviewing engineering curriculum in universities

President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria for the review of engineering curriculum for undergraduate programme in Nigerian universities.
Buhari gave the commendation on Tuesday in Abuja at the 27th Engineering Assembly of COREN with the theme: “The Nigerian Built Industry: Building a Sustainable Structure with Allied Professionals’’.
The President, represented by Suleimen Adamu, the Minister of Water Resources, said Nigeria was currently in serious need of engineering technologists to improve on its infrastructural development.
He said the absence of up to date curriculum for university programme in the past to reflect the current trend in engineering had drastically reduced the competiveness of local engineers in the country.
Buhari called for the upgrade of the quality of engineering practice to facilitate the application of modern engineering technology in road construction, power, manufacturing and housing.
He said: “The absence of infrastructure in most engineering faculties in our universities to complement theoretical teaching with practical knowledge has created a wide gap.
“There is a disturbing gap between engineers trained in Nigeria and those trained abroad, hence the need for our universities to turn up quality and world grade professional.
“Our concern is that our people are victims of poor quality service delivery by poorly trained and unqualified engineers because once there is collapse of infrastructure anywhere in Nigeria, we are left to count loses.
“It is in the light of this that we wish to appreciate the effort of COREN in the review of engineering curriculum for undergraduate training in Nigeria universities.”
In his remark, Kashim Ali, the President of COREN, said his vision to ensure international standard of engineering qualification in the country was already yielding expected results.
He said COREN had been admitted as a member of Engineering Institution of Asia and the Pacific.
Ali said that the implication was that Nigerian engineering qualifications certified by COREN would now be recognised in 48 member economies including, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, China among others.
He said the council had also reached advanced stage in its quest for a Provisional Signatory Status of the Washington Accord, a member of the International Engineering Alliance.
The COREN President said engineering professionals had in the past played the second fiddle instead of being at the fore front of the country’s development process.
He said: “With the promulgation of Executive Order No. 5, a solution has been provided. This is certainly an indication that government now believes in the ability of indigenous practitioners.
“With the executive order, the ball is now in the court of the Nigerian engineering practitioners to prove that they are competent and able to execute projects that will meet international standards.”