Abuja: The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has expressed concern over the activities of multiple professional bodies duplicating engineering accreditation efforts in Nigerian universities. The President of COREN, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, made this known during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Abubakar stated that the presence of multiple accreditation bodies was duplicating responsibilities and placing unnecessary burdens on universities. He emphasised that COREN was the only body legally empowered to accredit engineering programmes in Nigerian universities. "The Federal Government established COREN with the mandate to regulate and control the education, training, and practice of engineering in all its aspects since 1972," he said.
Abubakar highlighted the COREN Act, which empowers the body to accredit academic programmes for the training of engineering professionals at all levels, including technologists, technicians, and craftsmen, as well as to register and license them to practice in Nigeria. The Act also gives COREN the authority to make specific regulations and publish them for effective monitoring, compliance, and enforcement.
He raised concerns over certain professional bodies that, through lobbying, had gained statutory backing and now conducted unauthorised accreditation visits to universities. He cited an example of a body that recently attempted to accredit the Electrical Engineering programme at the University of Jos without the knowledge of either COREN or NUC. Another body, he noted, was planning to license and regulate power engineers, a move COREN rejected due to potential conflict and crisis.
Abubakar stressed the urgency of finalising protocols for joint accreditation between COREN and NUC. He called on the NUC leadership to support and expedite the commencement of joint accreditation activities, which had historically been carried out collaboratively for more than 55 years. He warned that failure to resolve the issue could result in significant crises and urged universities to recognise COREN as the sole body for engineering accreditation.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, assured COREN of the commission's full support and collaboration. Ribadu expressed readiness to initiate joint accreditation activities, acknowledging the vital role of engineering in national development. He also criticised some professional bodies for placing financial and logistical burdens on universities during visits, recounting his experience as a former Vice Chancellor where a body asked for two million naira during an accreditation visit. Ribadu pledged NUC's support for COREN and commended the council for its efforts in advancing the engineering profession in Nigeria.