The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to address regulatory shortcomings in the construction industry, promote collaboration, enhance infrastructure quality, and uphold professional standards in Nigeria’s construction sector.
At the recent signing event in Abuja, CORBON Chairman Samson Opaluwah stated, “This signposts a milestone in our joint endeavours to foster professional excellence, collaborative delivery and the optimisation of human resources in the built environment.”
He further noted that the partnership seeks to “maintain the highest levels of professionalism and the deployment of the best expertise in the development and management of our country’s infrastructure.”
Under the MoU, the two councils will work together on sharing knowledge, conducting joint training programs, enforcing regulations, and promoting best practices within the building and engineering sectors.
COREN President Professor Sadiq Abubakar emphasized the need to close regulatory gaps, warning, “If we envisage that we are going to be competitors and we’re going to be confronting ourselves, Nigeria is going to lose. Nigerians will lose. Our economy will go down.”
The MoU is expected to deliver benefits such as improved training for registered professionals, enhanced research cooperation, better oversight of industry standards, and a cohesive approach to ensuring compliance.
Addressing the issue of building collapses, Abubakar highlighted the absence of laws to hold developers accountable, stating, “Eighty per cent of what’s happening is not captured in the legislation. It has to do with the developers. With the signing of the MoU, we are going to change that.”
He also mentioned that COREN is working on legislative amendments to broaden its regulatory authority, saying, “We will sit down with CORBON and request input on that. We want to fast-track that process so that before the end of this year, we are in the National Assembly.”
Abubakar further revealed plans to incorporate CORBON-certified professionals into COREN’s Enforcement and Regulatory Monitoring framework across Nigeria’s states and the Federal Capital Territory, adding, “When we go out, we go as a solid group.”
He stressed that this collaboration will bolster efforts to combat unprofessional practices in the industry.
Both leaders pledged to foster cooperation rather than rivalry, with Opaluwah declaring.
“Today, we embark on a new chapter of cooperation and collaboration towards mutual growth, rather than competition and confrontation,” and Abubakar affirming, “We are not competing. We should synergise and work as a team to improve the nation and to improve our lot.”
The event concluded with the exchange of mementos, symbolizing mutual respect and a shared commitment to advancing Nigeria’s built environment.
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