The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria has inaugurated a National Technical Committee to address the issue of infrastructure failure in the country.
The council disclosed this in a meeting with journalists in Abuja recently.
The COREN President, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, noted, “The committee will drive the engineering regulations monitoring at the national level, similar to the existing practice at regional and state levels. This will ensure effective monitoring and enforcement of engineering regulations to prevent infrastructure failures.”
Infrastructure failure encompasses the collapse, malfunction, or deterioration of critical systems like buildings, bridges, roads, water supply, power generation, and communication networks, transportation systems, dams, and public health infrastructure, often caused by factors, such as poor design, inadequate maintenance, and natural disasters, human error, material failure, corrosion, overloading, and ageing infrastructure.
In Nigeria, infrastructure failure is characterised by recurring building collapses, among others the National Technical Committee would address this by enforcing engineering regulations and ensuring only qualified engineers are engaged in construction projects.
Nigeria has witnessed several building collapses, leading to the loss of lives and property.
Abubakar stated that the committee’s inauguration was a response to the call on COREN to address the incessant failures of engineering infrastructure across the country.
He recently pledged the council’s support to tackling infrastructure failures, noting that it was doing everything possible to build the capacity of its members to tackle such menaces in Nigeria.
“The ERM inspectors will be supported by the Engineering Intelligence and Surveillance Task Force and EIS Whistle Blowers operating at national, regional, and state levels. This will ensure that quacks and offenders are brought to book, and sanity is restored to the practice of engineering in Nigeria,” he added.
The COREN president emphasised that the committee’s intervention would help prevent infrastructure failure by ensuring that only qualified engineers are engaged in construction projects.
“We are determined to restore public trust in the engineering profession. With this committee in place, we can assure Nigerians that we are doing everything possible to prevent infrastructure failures and ensure public safety,” Abubakar said.
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