…Signs regulatory pact with NEMSA
By Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Professor Okorie Uche, has raised the alarm over the unchecked activities of unlicensed practitioners in the engineering sector, blaming them for the rising incidence of building collapses across the country.
Speaking in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between COREN and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Uche lamented that the general public finds it difficult to distinguish between quacks and certified professionals.
“People do not actually recognise who is a quack because everybody answers an ‘engineer.
“At the end of the day, once there is a collapse in any place, people will start saying, ‘Oh, Nigerian engineers,’ but you find out that those who are actually involved are not licensed. They are quacks.”
To address this, Uche disclosed that COREN has created 11 sector-specific frameworks to enhance oversight and enforcement. “So COREN has established 11 sectors that we are setting our vernaculars to ensure that we are doing our job, and we will collaborate to ensure that these gaps are covered; others will follow,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, COREN President, Professor Sadiq Abubakar, said the MoU was a strategic step toward building synergy in the regulation of engineering practices, particularly in the power sector.
He noted that COREN had shouldered the burden of regulating engineering practices across Nigeria for over five decades. “We did our best, and Nigeria is evolving to catch up with the evolution of engineering,” he said.
Abubakar acknowledged the establishment of sector-specific regulators such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and NEMSA, both of which now oversee parts of the regulatory responsibilities COREN was solely responsible for 50 years ago.
“One of the key sub-sectors of our economy is the power sector. We saw the establishment of at least two credible regulators—NERC and NEMSA—that have been assigned some aspects of what COREN was assigned 50 years ago,” he said. “So COREN needs to go out there and establish synergy and working relationships to be able to identify the regulatory gaps and fill them.”
He emphasized that COREN was now working to build partnerships with Nigeria’s 32 regulators across various sectors to strengthen the country’s regulatory ecosystem.
“The aim is not to work in silos or see each other as rivals, but to create a robust ecosystem that delivers value for money—resilient infrastructure, reliable services, and competent practitioners and firms certified before undertaking projects,” he said.
Abubakar commended NEMSA for its readiness to collaborate, noting that COREN would invite the agency to participate in several regulatory functions, including standards development, enforcement, inspections, investigations, and disciplinary proceedings.
In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEMSA, Engineer Aliyu Tahir, explained that the agency is mandated to enforce technical standards and carry out electrical inspections, testing, and certification of all types of installations and equipment.
Tahir, who also serves as the Electrical Inspector of the Federation, stressed the need for collaborative regulation. “Today’s MoU with COREN is therefore a significant milestone, one that formalises a strategic partnership essential to our shared goals,” he said.
He added that the partnership will strengthen professional accountability by requiring firms and personnel applying for NEMSA certification to be duly registered with COREN. “It will facilitate the exchange of data on disciplinary actions and sanctions and uphold standards by enhancing the quality of certification and practices within the renewable energy and broader electrical engineering sectors.”
The collaboration, according to Tahir, will also promote skilled manpower development, address engineering challenges, and ensure COREN’s active participation in NEMSA’s competency certification panels.
“It is my firm belief that this MoU will foster a robust and mutually beneficial relationship between the two institutions. Through this partnership, we will be better positioned to deliver on our mandates—most importantly, the protection of lives and property within the Nigerian electricity supply industry and beyond,” he noted.