Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq today inaugurated the State Technical Committee and the State Expatriate Monitoring Committee of the Engineering Regulation Monitoring (ERM) in the quest to stem the tide of shoddy project execution in the state.
AbdulRazaq also directed the Committees to damn the consequences and report any contracting firm found to have poorly performed in the project assigned to it.
The Governor, spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Mamman Sha’aba Jibril, at the inauguration in Ilorin, the state capital.
The Governor observed that the collapse of engineering works such as bridges, roads and others has become persistent in the country.
He told the committees to monitor public project handed to contractor and should not hesitate to draw his attention to such project in case his performance was below expectation.
AbdulRazaq said the composition and acceptance of the teams, which compromised experts in the engineering profession and security personnel, was a reflection that it would deliver on the responsibility entrusted to it.
The Governor urged the teams to approach the state government for assistance whenever the need arises, assuring that the committees would be supported.
“You have been selected not because of your name, background or religion but because of your performance and contributions. And it is our wish that you will use that to do what you are supposed to do. The moment you need the support of government, you try to see the government, because we are here to do what we are expected to do.
“You will discover that the collapse of all the engineering works including buildings, bridges, road and others is more in Nigeria. So, on the basis of some of these things, when we come to the inauguration, you have officially accepted to damn the consequences by doing the right thing. You will damn it for record, because you may not be there tomorrow.
“When you have one or two things that the government can do for you, you can approach and discuss with the government, and by the grace of God, I know our Governor will assist you to the capacity that he can afford. He will do his best to assist you”, the Governor said.
Also speaking at the inauguration, the President, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr Ali Rabiu, noted that monitoring of engineering projects would be ineffective if only the engineering practitioners are required to register.
He appealed to the state government to stamp its feet to ensure full compliance with the requirement in the state Ministry of Works and Transport and engineering based organizations where engineering is being carried out in the state.
Engr Rabiu congratulated members of the committees, saying that they were carefully selected based on their integrity, experience, sense of patriotism and previous selfless service to the engineering profession.
“Your Excellency, monitoring of engineering projects cannot be effective if it is only the engineering practitioners that are required to be registered and licensed. Therefore, all practising engineering firms are now required to obtain their COREN practising licence as a condition for pre-qualification for any engineering job in Nigeria.
“These firms include engineering consulting firms, engineering contracting firms, those in manufacturing, fabrication, vendoring of engineering materials among others. All engineering firms are required to meet the minimum requirements for practice and obtain their practising license or they run foul of the law”, the COREN president said.
The COREN president thereafter led other veterans in the engineering profession including the Za’na of Ilorin, Engr ‘Lanre Sagaya; Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, former Registrar of COREN, Engr Kamila Wopa Maliki, to the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, where he thanked the monarch for the support to the profession.
Isqil Najim