From Rashidat AbdulRahman, Minna
Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State has said the state will not tolerate quackery in carrying out engineering projects in the state.
The governor stated this as he inaugurated the state Technical Committee of Engineering Monitoring of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Wednesday at Government House, Minna.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Ahmed Ketso, expressed worry over the cases of collapsed buildings in Nigeria and the negative effect of comprising standard of projects, mostly infrastructure.
“I have come to believe over time that no nation can develop without engineering. Indeed the statement ‘engineering is development’ is a life long fact. I dare extend it to say that engineering is life,” he maintained.
Bello gave assurances of his support to COREN and that the state will benefit from partnering with the council in the area of infrastructural development.
Speaking earlier, in his welcome address, President, COREN, Engr Ali Rabiu said that the Amendment Act, 2018 charged the organization through Engineering Regulations Monitoring (ERM) with the duties of regulating, controlling and ensuring that engineering is practiced in Nigeria.
The president also added that part of enforcing best practices in engineering is that only registered and licensed practitioners are engaged for any engineering job.
“Any practitioner engaged in engineering without a valid license to practice in Nigeria runs foul of the law,” he stated.
He also stressed that the state governor should insist that the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructural Development and indeed all engineering based organizations in the state where engineering is being carried out to comply with the law.
The president disclosed that the state technical committee is to be established in all the 36 states of the federation and so far, Niger state is the 18th to be inaugurated.
