ATBU Management, Lecturers, Students and Guests in a group photograph after the Book launch and Public presentation at ATBU Yelwa campus Bauchi.
By Abubakar Baba Ahmad.
The Immediate Past Registrar Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria COREN, Professor Adisa Ademola Bello has warned individuals parading themselves as Engineers without due registration or practicing with fake documents that the council is now empowered by-law to prosecute quacks in the profession.
The University Don sounded the warning at a Public lecture and Magazine launch organised by the Faculty of Engineering and Engineering Technology in collaboration with the National Universities Engineering Student’s Association ATBU Bauchi chapter.
Professor Adisa Bello who said anyone practicing in the field of engineering with either fake result or not registered under the council is a quack, noted that COREN has signed an MoU with ICPC to prosecute offenders of engineering.
“COREN has its laws amended in 1992, 2004 and 2018. The specific one in referring to is the amendment in 2018 which categorically gave COREN the mandate to prosecute offenders of engineering”.
“Anybody that is not a registered practitioner in engineering and is practicing engineering should be prosecuted by COREN”, the immediate past Registrar says.
According to him, two engineers who were involved in the construction of the 21 storey building that collapsed in lagos are under prosecution by the ICPC after COREN investigative panel found them culpable, while another individual caught with fake result during the council’s qualification examination is also before the court of law.
He charged the academia to ensure all engineering programmes are accredited, practitioners to be duly certified by COREN, as well as companies and organisations to operate inline with standard procedures as the council currently has active regulatory monitoring unit in 29 states to ensure compliance.
“Any practice without registration, we term you as a quack. We need the academics to ensure that all their engineering programmes are accredited by the National University Commission and also by COREN, because if they don’t accredit your programme, you can’t register at the end of the day”.
“So, we want to call on the academia to ensure that all their engineering programmes are properly accredited, and for the practitioners, we expect that anybody who poses himself as a practitioner, should be searched and monitored”, Adisa emphasises.
In a paper titled, Smart Cities and the role of Engineering and Technology in building the Urban future, the Head of Department Civil Engineering ATBU Dr Ibrahim Ikara said engineers play critical role in smart cities through the design of modern infrastructure, disaster resilient systems and eco-friendly neighbourhood, by leveraging on advanced technologies such as AI, robotics and drones.
Dr Ibrahim Ikara represented by Engineer Muhammad Suleiman listed some of the challenges of building smart cities in developing nations to include infrastructure deficit, limited funding, low level of digital literacy among citizens, as well as instability in governance and leadership.
He called on policy makers and implementors to adopt and pay closer attention Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM to achieve the set goals.
Similarly, Pupil Engineers popularly known as Students’ Graduates in Engineering have been charged to be proactive and innovative towards providing solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the country especially in the area of alternative energy, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
A group Panelists made the call at a Public lecture and Magazine launch organised by the Faculty of Engineering and Engineering Technology in collaboration with the National Universities Engineering Student’s Association ATBU Bauchi chapter.
One of them and Senior Lecturer with the Department of Chemical Engineering, ATBU Dr Isa Muhammad harped on the need for the pupil engineers to muster ideas in turning bad energy to good energy through energy efficiency and embracing green technology.
Another panelist, the Head of Equipment and Maintenance Centre ATBU Bauchi Engineer Aminu Wunti called on the pupil engineers to have a nose for AI and robotics which deals with all aspects of engineering towards expanding their knowledge horizon to remain relevant in the evolving technology driven world.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion and Vice Chancellor ATBU Professor Ibrahim Hassan Garba represented by Professor Dodo Ibrahim Suleiman charged the soon to be engineers to be good ambassadors of the institution and key into the smart city initiative by using their knowledge to earn means of livelihood for themselves.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Special Adviser to Bauchi State Governor on Youth and Entrepreneurdhip Mohammed Atiku and Representative of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC Engineer Han said engineering and digital innovations are the perfect blend to modern development, urged tye graduating students to always conduct themselves in in-line with engineering regulations.
In a remark, the Permanent Secretary State Ministry of Works and Transport Engineer Hamisu Garba represented by Engineer Jibrin pledged continued support to all activities in the engineering sector towards the delivery of quality infrastructure in the state.
Meanwhile, the event featured magazine launch and awards presentation to individuals and organisations that distinguished themselves in the engineering field.
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