The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria(COREN) says it will review engineering curriculum to ensure Nigerian engineers are at par with their global counterparts.
Mr Kashim Ali, the President of COREN made the assertion on Wednesday in Lagos at the grand finale of the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of the Ikeja Branch of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).
The event had the theme “Sustaining a Viable Engineering Culture”.
Ali said that COREN, in the last five years, had taken steps to review the curriculum.
The COREN president explained that Nigerian engineers had been certified to operate in 48 countries, and efforts were on to make the certification global.
He said that UNESCO experts and other foreign universities were partnering with the council on creating the benchmark for the certification.
“Today, if you go to all Asian countries, 48 of them including China, Korea, and the Pacific Australia, you find out that they accept any person accredited by COREN.
“We are trying to go to the world now through the Washington Accord, a signatory body for engineering institutions that are acceptable internationally,” Ali said.
He, however, said that only 46 Nigerian universities qualified to benefit from the global certification.
Ali thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for signing Executive Order 5 that improved the chances of local engineers in executing projects.
Speaking at the occasion, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Founder, DAAR Communications Plc called for political will to implement the Executive Order for rapid industrialisation of the nation’s economy.
Dokpesi, who was Special Guest of Honour at the event, called on the Federal Government to revive the nation’s steel industry.
He deplored the demise of the Delta, Katsina and Oshogbo Steel Rolling Mills and stressed the need to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill.
“The foundation for any economy or nation to grow is industrialisation and you need the steel industry to be able to do that.
“We definitely need to take the issue of Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill very seriously,” he said.
Dokpesi said that local engineers had competences that should be explored.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dopkesi, who is also an engineer, received two awards from the NSE for his contribution to the field of engineering.
The Chairman of the Ikeja Branch of NSE, Mr Akintayo Akintola, said, “Nigerian engineers are the best, I am proud to say that”.
Akintola said that Nigerian engineers could only get better if given bigger challenges, as engineering principles are the same globally.
He called on the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government to partner local engineers to improve the nation’s infrastructure. (NAN)
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