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British-Nigerian construction law expert Abiola Aderibigbe has called for a collaborative rollout of a national Contractor Registration & Grading system—inviting COREN, CORBON, ARCON and QSRBN to co-shape standards alongside the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
Nigeria can end the “wrong firm on the wrong job” culture by matching projects to proven competence, says Aderibigbe. He is urging a partnership model in which BPP operates a transparent Register & Grading portal while the professional councils set and verify the technical benchmarks. Paying tribute to the councils’ leadership, he praised COREN under Engr. Prof. Sadiq Zubair Abubakar for its sustained push on engineering standards and public safety; CORBON, chaired by Bldr. (Dr.) Samson Ameh Opaluwah, for championing quality and workforce registers; ARCON, led by Arc. (Sir) Dipo Ajayi, for strengthening architectural governance; and QSRBN, under QS Obafemi O. Onashile, for advancing cost discipline and professional ethics.
“These institutions are the backbone of competence,” Aderibigbe said. “I have deep admiration for the organisations and their esteemed leaders—I’ve watched their work with respect, and my invitation is simple: let’s build with you, not around you. If COREN, CORBON, ARCON and QSRBN validate the technical side while BPP runs an open register and sanctions dashboard, we will protect lives, cut disputes and rebuild trust.”
COREN
At the heart of his plan is an upgrade of the BPP database into a live, public register with grade bands (G1–G9), tender caps and a visible sanctions dashboard. Eligibility would reflect financial capacity, track record, qualified personnel and plant, and recognised competence evidence, with CPD-linked renewal. The councils would verify technical compliance and provide progression pathways so grades mirror real capability—especially for credible MSMEs.
The proposal would be mandatory for public works across federal, state, LGA and SOE projects, and optional but incentivised for private developments via finance and insurance levers and model contract clauses. It draws on proven ideas: the UK’s CDM duty-holder competence and SSIP pre-qualification practice, South Africa’s CIDB Grades 1–9, Singapore’s BCA/CRS workheads with grade-based limits, and Queensland’s PQC performance framework.
Aderibigbe framed contractor grading as one of his five co-equal “Aderibigbe Pillars” for a Nigerian Construction Act—“a practical place to begin while the other pillars advance in parallel.” He reiterated his earlier public call for the Act, urging industry and government to “debate the details, not the destination” and to “put competence first—with our professional regulators at the centre.”
He sketched a deliverable 18–24-month path: initial BPP regulations on workheads and grades, memoranda of understanding with the councils and a recognised competence list; followed by a portal upgrade, federal pilots and two state pilots, importing legacy registers; then go-live for federal public works with state opt-ins, lender/insurer tie-ins and private-sector model clauses; culminating in nationwide public-works coverage, a first performance-score cycle and the inaugural compliance report with a sanctions dashboard.
“I admire the work these councils and their presidents are doing,” Aderibigbe said. “This pillar succeeds with them. My door is open: let’s co-design the standards, mentor MSMEs and make competence the national baseline.”
