In a significant move set to bolster engineering standards and safety within Nigeria’s power sector, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
This agreement, formalized in Abuja, aims to foster greater collaboration, eliminate regulatory gaps, and combat the pervasive issue of unqualified practitioners in the industry.
The partnership signals a strategic shift towards creating a more unified and robust regulatory ecosystem, prioritizing professional accountability, and safeguarding lives and property across the nation’s electricity value chain.
Bridging Gaps and Building Synergy
Professor Sadiq Abubakar, President of COREN, emphasized that the MoU marks a crucial step in COREN’s ongoing efforts to enhance engineering regulation.
For over 55 years, COREN bore the sole responsibility of regulating engineering in Nigeria.
However, as the country’s economy and engineering landscape evolved, specialized regulatory bodies like NEMSA emerged to oversee specific subsectors, particularly the vital power industry.
“We did our best, but as Nigeria evolved and developed to catch up with the evolution of engineering, it also established regulators to manage the subsectors,” Abubakar stated.
“One of the key subsectors of our economy is the power sector, with credible regulators like NEMSA assigned aspects of what COREN was responsible for 50 years ago. So, COREN needs to establish synergy and working relationships to identify and fill regulatory gaps.”
He observed that with approximately 32 regulators across various sectors in Nigeria, COREN is actively seeking to foster collaboration rather than operating in silos or viewing other agencies as rivals.
The ultimate goal, he noted, is to create a more resilient regulatory framework for the nation, ensuring Nigeria gets “value for money, resilient infrastructure, reliable services, and competent practitioners and firms that have been certified before they can undertake services.”
COREN will extend invitations to NEMSA to participate in key committees, including the Codes and Standards Committee, Engineering Regulation Monitoring (ERM) Committee, Engineering Investigative Panel, and the Disciplinary Tribunal. These collaborations are designed to ensure that only certified professionals handle engineering responsibilities, particularly within the power sector.
Upholding Standards and Ensuring Safety
Engr. Aliyu Tahir, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEMSA, who also serves as the Electrical Inspector of the Federation, underscored NEMSA’s statutory mandate to enforce technical standards and regulations in the power sector. This includes carrying out electrical inspections, testing, and certification of installations, meters, and equipment to ensure safety.
Tahir described the MoU with COREN as a “significant milestone” that formalizes a vital strategic partnership. He elaborated on the numerous mutual benefits, including reinforcing the requirement for all personnel and firms applying for NEMSA certification to be duly registered with COREN. This ensures professional accountability and competence, leading to higher quality certification and practices, particularly in emerging areas like renewable energy.
The collaboration will also facilitate the exchange of data on disciplinary actions and sanctions, promoting transparency, fairness, and shared responsibility in the certification process.
Furthermore, it will foster skilled manpower development and encourage stakeholder engagement to address engineering challenges. Importantly, COREN will now have active representation on NEMSA’s Competency Certification Panels.
“This collaboration is about setting standards, protecting lives, and ensuring that qualified hands manage our critical infrastructure,” Tahir affirmed. “It is my firm belief that this MoU will foster a robust and mutually beneficial relationship, enabling us to better deliver our respective mandates, most importantly the protection of lives and property within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry and beyond.”
Combating the Scourge of Quackery
Professor Okorie Uche, the Registrar of COREN, directly addressed the alarming issue of quackery within the engineering profession, lamenting that unlicensed individuals often pose as engineers.
“Today, everyone claims to be an ‘engineer.’ But when buildings collapse or systems fail, licensed engineers are unfairly blamed,” Uche stated. “The reality is that most of those behind the failures are not registered, not trained, and not accountable.”
He emphasized that this MoU will play a crucial role in drawing a clear line between genuine professionals and impostors. COREN has established 11 technical sectors to intensify its monitoring and enforcement activities, with collaborations like this partnership with NEMSA being central to sanitizing the system.
“We are determined to flush out quacks and ensure only real professionals take charge of our infrastructure. Nigeria will be better for it,” Uche concluded, expressing optimism that the combined efforts of COREN and NEMSA will lead to a more structured and effective engineering ecosystem in Nigeria.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, COREN President, Sadiq Abubakar, said the partnership would bridge longstanding regulatory gaps in Nigeria’s engineering ecosystem, especially in the electricity value chain.