Mandates foreign engineering firms to register with COREN

By Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja assented to Engineers (Registration etc) Amendment Bill, 2019, which among others, bars the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from henceforth, posting graduates of engineering to secondary schools to teach.


The bill which has now become the Act of the National Assembly seeks to promote technological development in Nigeria by ensuring that trained engineers are well positioned to deploy the knowledge acquired in their various fields to the development of technology in the country.

Briefing journalists in the State House, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, said as against the tradition of posting a large number of engineering graduates to schools by NYSC, youth corps members who are graduates of engineering must henceforth be posted only to engineering firms and other institutions that are relevant to their professional fields.

Aside prohibiting such firms from rejecting engineering graduates posted to them, the Act mandates NYSC to immediately communicate the name of any institution where an engineering graduate is posted to, for his/her primary assignment, to the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).

Enang cited Section 14 (i and ii) of the Act which provides that “The Directorate of the National Youth Service Corps shall ensure posting of graduate engineers and technologists to places of relevant professional engineering experience.

“Pursuant to the provision of subsection (i), the Directorate of National Youth Service Corps shall communicate the location of graduate engineers and engineering technologists to the Council.’’

Furthermore, the Act prohibits any foreign engineering firm from operating in Nigeria without being duly registered in the country by COREN.

It also mandates such a foreign firm to ensure the introduction of local content into the operations of the company by employing Nigerian engineers.


Enang added: “The Act broaden engineering ‘practitioners to include a registered engineer, engineering technologist, engineering technician and engineering craftsman.’ It emphasises more on engineering practitioners as against ‘engineer.’

“The Act has been remitted in accordance with standard legal procedures. The principal Act establishes the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria – COREN’ with power vested.

“The amendment now assented to by Mr. President broadens the powers of COREN with far-reaching powers of prosecution of infractions, regulating industrial training of engineers, capacity building of local content in Nigeria engineering industry.

“Specifically, the new law grants COREN powers of: ‘prosecuting any person or firm that contravenes the provisions of this Act in a court of competent jurisdiction; regulating industrial training schemes in engineering practitioners and students; ensuring capacity building and monitoring local content development in the Nigerian engineering industry through – mandatory attachment of Nigerians to expatriate engineers on major projects to understudy them from inception; ensuring that all foreign engineering firms establish their design offices in Nigeria.”

Enang also said the new Act grants “compulsory attestation to all expatriate quota for engineering practitioners, including turnkey project, that there are no qualified and competent Nigerians for the job in question at the time of application and that granting of the expatriate quota shall be contingent on training of such number of persons as may be required for the execution of the job, and; ensuring that, before being allowed to practice in Nigeria, such foreign engineering practitioners granted work permit, register with the council and obtain such licenses as may be required from time to time; investigating engineering failures.’’


He further disclosed that the Act further authorises the admission of some engineering associations into COREN as the umbrella body of all engineers in the country.

Such associations as listed by Enang are: Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering, Nigerian Society of Engineering Technicians, and Nigerian Association of Engineering Craftsmen.

According to him, the Act further authorises one person to represent in COREN, the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria, Federation of Construction Industry in Nigeria, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and Armed Forces in rotation.

“The Council is now entitled to maintain a fund into which shall be paid money appropriated by the National Assembly, subventions, fees, charges for services rendered or publications made, donations, engineering development levy, among others,” Enang added.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/03/22/buhari-signs-bill-stopping-nysc-from-posting-engineering-graduates-to-schools/?amp

Lifeless on dix one

Good move. Journalist should work in a news outlet. Doctors, a hospital. Lawyers, court, Engineers, a firm or companies. The rest should find themselves in school

Baba is gradually resharping nigeria... Soon we would get there

Very very commendable.

This will help develop and expose them.

it's a welcome development

Next level things


I build websites and I am based in Abuja, see my signature

After I don serve for Bodo City in Gokana LGA,Rivers State last year. No be small suffer for that community. But I still thank God.



Congratulations to those it will benefit.

Nice

SirBuhari on dis one

For once in his life, the dullard has increased his IQ by 1

E

And So

Lol! they will be so happy. I remember how they used to complain about it. I used to think -_- the rest of us nko?

I hope their heads wont begin to swell because of this

Let them sign bills for the rest of us na

Modified: But maybe i misunderstood. There are different types of engineering, right?

People are saying that there arent enough companies but must all engineers work in a company?

Chemical engineers can be posted to nnpc, biotechnologists can go to labs, cant they Those people that design wheelchairs for people with spinal cord injuries and incubators for premature babies, dont they work in hospitals?

I thought engineering was a difficult and sought-after course that requires robust aptitude for science and mathematics. What kind of engineering are we talking about that apparently there are so many of them that they are pouring out of the cracks in the wall?

This is a genuine question and not an insult before engineers come for me

Good news

I haven't been buhari's strongest supporter, but I must commend this move...well done baba(can't believe I'm saying this)

This is commendable

The guy above me abeg nau, is it every thread? rest small abeg!!! even the images you put go just big anyhow, someone will have to start scrolling upandan to see the next comment, very annoying.

anyways, as i was saying this is very commendable, many engineering firms are fond of rejecting engineering graduates,, hence the reason for posting a large no of graduates to schools, (where else will they serve), with this, nysc can post you to NBC or Dangote, and dem no born dem to refuse you, besides it just one year, you aren't permanent staff and will prolly be paid stipends, they are more or less apprentices. So i wonder why they keep rejecting such graduates, who are just looking for an avenue to kick-off their careers in the right direction

Rejecting and fustrations loomin...
They re no enough firm and companies to hire these corps member. Provide these companies mr dullard.

Hmmm.....This is highly commendable, More life to the lifeless one

amaniro:
Good move. Journalist should work in a news outlet. Doctors, a hospital. Lawyers, court, Engineers, a firm or companies. The rest should find themselves in school

I concur..... In timaya's voice

This man just dey sign everything, even his death warrant..

There are reasons why almost everyone is sent to school..... Look for the reason, b4 just signing everything oga

Bbbwings:
For once in his life, the dullard has increased his IQ by 1

Una no go kill person with laugh for this Nairaland

beamtopola:
Rejecting and fustrations loomin...
They re no enough firm and companies to hire these corps member. Provide these companies mr dullard.

Finally someone with sense

XO engineers posted to core northern states where there are no engineering facilities nko??

Irrelevant

That is your president. Not mine o

Sometimes I Imagine If Nigeria was to be like Europe. The feelings though Gosh!!!

Buhari Till 2023

Things that Atiku would never have done because he will be after what goes in and out of NNPC, thnk God dat dat man never win

what of environmental students?, are we also included?