UniAbuja, UniCAL, 3 others running expired engineering programmes – COREN

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Council for the Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN),on Friday announced that the University of Abuja, University of Calabar in Cross River State and Ambrose Ali university Ekpoma , Edo state are running expired accreditation and illegal engineering programmes without its approval.
Speaking at a press briefing on the outcome of the council’s 179th ordinary meeting in Abuja, the President and Chairman of COREN, Engr. Sadiq Abubakar, disclosed that other institutions include Modibbo Adama University, Yola and Technical University Ibadan , Oyo State as the universities are running expired accreditation and illegal engineering programmes too.
Abubakar, who was represented by the council’s Registrar, Engr. Adisa Bello, stated categorically that Modibbo Adama University, Yola; Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma, Edo State and University of Abuja as universities that are still running engineering programmes despite their accreditation has expired.
He said University of Calabar in Cross River State and Technical University Ibadan , Oyo State, were all running illegal engineering programmes that were not accredited by COREN.
He said the University of Abuja, in FCT is running the expired courses in chemical engineering and civil engineering accreditation expired on 26/03/2020, while electronic engineering and mechanical engineering accreditation expired on 20/04/2022.
According to the Council’s president, Modibbo Adama University Yola’s agricultural engineering failed accreditation, while civil engineering, elect/elect engineering expired on 11/10/2020; adding that the chemical engineering and mechanical engineering both expired on 10/03/2021.
He also said Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma Edo State’s mechanical engineering and elect/elect engineering accreditation expired on 12/11/2020.
“Cross River State, is currently running engineering programmes up to 300 level while Technical University of Ibadan, Oyo State is currently running engineering programmes up to 500 level without the resource verification/pre-verification by COREN’’, he said.
Abubakar explained that all the five universities have been written officially to call for accreditation of their programmes as presently their programmes are illegal.
Adding that they needed to rectify the abnormalities but there had not been any positive response from any of them.
“COREN is hereby notifying the affected Universities to rectify the abnormalities and get the programmes accredited before the announcement of the next academic session.
“Failure to rectify their non-accreditation status will result in blacklisting them as non-accredited institutions whose graduates of engineering programmes will not be recognised for registration as engineering practitioners and will lack the legal backing to practice engineering in Nigeria.
“Engineering practitioners are hereby reminded to obtain their Annual Practicing Licence (APL), for 2023 in order to comply with the Law Regulating engineering practice in Nigeria,” Abubakar stressed.
He said COREN is committed towards ensuring engineering is regulated in Nigeria in line with global best practice to improve the quality of life and promote sustainable development.
Meanwhile, he noted that COREN act established the body as a statutory body of the federal government of Nigeria with the mandate to regulate and control the education, training and practice of engineering in all its aspects and ramifications.