ABUJA — The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) is strengthening its regulatory framework in response to concerns over engineering failures and building collapses, approving a series of measures designed to improve professional compliance, tighten enforcement and enhance public safety.
The decisions were reached at the council’s 190th Ordinary Meeting, held on July 9, 2026, at its headquarters in Abuja, according to a statement issued on Thursday by COREN Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. O.A.U. Uche.
A major outcome of the meeting was the approval of 2,001 engineering practitioners for registration, covering several professional and technical categories.
The registration comprises 1,410 Engineers, 227 Engineering Technologists, 15 Engineering Technicians, 334 Engineering Craftsmen and 15 Expatriate Practitioners.
The registration comes alongside a broader regulatory push by COREN, with the council approving measures intended to strengthen the way engineering activities are monitored and professional requirements enforced.
At the centre of the new measures is the council’s concern over recurring engineering failures, including building collapses, which have continued to raise questions about compliance with professional standards.
Rather than limiting its intervention to the registration of practitioners, COREN approved measures covering inspection, professional licensing, engineering procurement, digital verification, government institutions, technical skills and engineering education.
Among the measures is a competency development programme for Engineering Regulation Inspection Officers.
The programme is intended to strengthen the capacity of officers responsible for engineering regulatory inspections, giving the inspectorate a stronger professional foundation for monitoring compliance.
COREN also approved a nationwide public awareness campaign as part of the measures adopted at the meeting.
The council further approved the development of an integrated digital compliance and verification platform, adding a technology-based component to its regulatory system.
The platform is expected to support compliance and verification processes and strengthen the council’s ability to monitor engineering practice.
Another significant decision was the approval of mandatory COREN compliance for engineering procurement and approvals.
The council also approved measures to strengthen its Engineering Compliance Inspectorate Units, while directing stricter enforcement of annual practising licence requirements.
The combination of these measures places greater emphasis on continuing professional compliance rather than treating registration as the only regulatory requirement for practitioners.
National engineering database approved
COREN also approved the establishment of a National Engineering Practice Database.
The database forms part of the council’s wider effort to strengthen the management and verification of engineering practice across the country.
Alongside this, the council approved a nationwide compliance audit of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The audit will assess the extent to which government institutions comply with the enhanced entry-point policy for engineers in the public service.
The move brings government agencies directly into the council’s latest compliance drive and is intended to provide a clearer assessment of adherence to professional requirements within the public sector.
COREN’s measures therefore cover both individual practitioners and the institutions involved in employing, procuring and approving engineering services.
Focus expands to artisans and technical training
The council also approved changes aimed at strengthening the registration of engineering artisans and Skills Training Centres.
Under the decision, registration for engineering artisans and Skills Training Centres will be automated through the COREN portal.
The council further directed collaboration with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to develop National Occupational Standards for technical occupations.
The move places technical skills development within the broader regulatory agenda.
By establishing occupational standards and improving registration processes, COREN is seeking to create clearer structures around technical occupations that form part of the wider engineering environment.
New framework for university engineering programmes
Engineering education also featured prominently in the council’s decisions.
COREN approved the National Engineering Admission Quota and Carrying Capacity Enforcement Framework as part of efforts to strengthen quality assurance in universities.
The framework is intended to address engineering admission capacity and strengthen the regulatory approach to university engineering programmes.
The council also adopted the Engineering Sliding Scale of Fees in Nigeria.
In addition, it revised the terms of reference for its Codes and Standards Committee, providing another component of the council’s work on professional and technical standards.
The measures indicate that COREN’s regulatory approach extends from the training and education of future practitioners to the professional requirements governing those already in practice.
Three companies receive renewable-energy accreditation
The council also granted full accreditation to three companies under its Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Certification Scheme.
The accredited companies are Sato Engineering Services Limited in Ibadan, EtinPower Limited in Benin and CeeSolar Energy Limited in Abuja.
The certification scheme is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP).
COREN’s decision also extends to the training of solar photovoltaic installers.
The council directed the adoption of the COREN/NESP-approved Solar PV Installation Training Curriculum at Enerplaz Paygo Solutions in Port Harcourt.
The decision places an approved training framework at the centre of the solar PV installation programme at the Port Harcourt-based organisation.
Certification examination results reviewed
The council also considered certification examination results from seven training centres.
A total of 478 candidates were involved in the examinations, with 177 candidates recording passes.
The results were among the matters considered during the council’s meeting as part of its broader responsibilities around professional and technical competency.
The examination component complements the registration measures approved at the same meeting, bringing assessment and professional recognition into the council’s wider regulatory framework.
Why the enforcement measures matter
COREN’s latest decisions are particularly significant because they come against the backdrop of concern over engineering failures and building collapses.
The council has responded by placing stronger emphasis on inspection, compliance verification and professional licensing.
The planned competency development programme for inspection officers is intended to improve the capacity of those responsible for regulatory monitoring, while stronger inspectorate units are expected to reinforce enforcement.
The proposed digital compliance and verification platform could provide another mechanism for establishing whether practitioners and engineering activities meet regulatory requirements.
Mandatory COREN compliance in engineering procurement and approvals would also place the regulator’s requirements more firmly within the processes through which engineering projects are approved and services obtained.
The national database and MDA compliance audit add institutional dimensions to the reforms.
Together, the measures cover several points within the engineering system, from the registration of practitioners to professional licensing, project procurement, inspection, government employment, technical training and university education.
2,001 practitioners added to regulated workforce
The registration of 2,001 practitioners remains one of the clearest outcomes of the council meeting.
Engineers account for the largest portion of the approved registrations, with 1,410 practitioners.
They are followed by 334 Engineering Craftsmen, 227 Engineering Technologists, 15 Engineering Technicians and 15 Expatriate Practitioners.
The breakdown reflects the different categories of practitioners operating across Nigeria’s engineering and technical sectors.
The registration also forms part of COREN’s statutory role in regulating engineering practice and maintaining professional standards.
However, the council’s latest decisions show that it is pairing registration with additional compliance measures.
Annual practising licences, inspection, verification and professional standards are being treated as continuing elements of regulatory oversight.
Stakeholder engagement planned
COREN is expected to take the reforms into wider consultations before the end of 2026.
The council said regional stakeholders’ engagement workshops would be held before the end of the year.
The workshops are intended to build consensus around the measures and encourage nationwide ownership of the reforms.
This engagement will bring the regulatory changes into discussions with stakeholders across different parts of the country.
The need for broad participation is particularly relevant because the measures affect multiple parts of the engineering system, including professionals, technical practitioners, training centres, universities, companies and government institutions.
COREN’s regulatory programme consequently goes beyond a single response to building collapses.
It combines enforcement with professional registration, technical skills development, engineering education, renewable-energy certification and institutional compliance.
The council’s latest meeting has therefore produced a broad package of measures aimed at tightening control over engineering practice and improving adherence to professional requirements.
At the same time, the registration of 2,001 practitioners expands the pool of professionals and technical personnel formally recognised within the regulatory system.
The coming months will focus on implementation, including the development of the digital compliance platform, strengthening of inspection capacity, the MDA compliance audit, automation of artisan and Skills Training Centre registration, and engagement with stakeholders through regional workshops.
For COREN, the stated objective is clear: strengthen compliance, raise professional standards and improve public safety.
The measures approved at the July meeting now provide the regulatory framework through which the council intends to pursue those objectives across Nigeria’s engineering sector.
Building Collapse: COREN Tightens Engineering Rules, Registers 2,001 Practitioners
