The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) says it has intensified efforts to tackle building collapse and infrastructure failure through specialised training of engineers in forensic investigation.
Registrar of COREN, Prof. Uche Okorie, said this on Monday at a three-day Training and Certification Workshop on Engineering Failure and Forensic Investigation for Licensed Engineering Practitioners in the Academia, Industry and Government Agencies.
The workshop was organised by COREN in collaboration with Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) and Chartered Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) in Abuja.
Okorie said the initiative was designed to address the growing concerns over structural failures, building collapses and other engineering-related incidents in Nigeria.
According to him, engineering failures often have devastating consequences, including loss of lives and property, making it imperative to develop a pool of qualified experts who can investigate failures and determine their root causes.
He said the council was sensitising Nigerians and practitioners in the built sector to ensure that only qualified practitioners and experts were responsible for construction.
“So, we are only creating awareness, and also training experts that if at all there is a failure, they need to investigate the failure with the right tools, to prevent future occurrence.
“We do not say that engineering structure cannot fail but we should ensure that failure is reduced to minimal one over one million.That is what we do in design.
“However, we need to have trained experts that will be involved not only in developing these structures, but also in investigating failure where they do occur in order to prevent.”
The registrar explained that the workshop was the second in a series, following an earlier edition held in Lagos, adding that it formed part of COREN’s broader strategy to build national capacity in forensic engineering investigations.
He emphasised the importance of engineering failure analysis in improving safety, reliability and performance across engineering sectors.
He urged participants to take advantage of the workshop’s interactive sessions, practical exercises and networking opportunities.
He also highlighted COREN’s international drive towards global recognition of Nigerian engineers, adding that recent discussions at the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) advanced Nigeria’s quest to become a full signatory to the Washington Accord.
According to him, full membership of the accord will enable Nigerian engineers to enjoy greater international mobility and recognition in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and several Asian nations.
Also speaking, the COREN’s President, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, represented by Council Member and member of the Training and Certification Committee, Felix Ebuzuoeme, said the workshop was an opportunity for engineers to learn and relearn.
Abubakar observed that engineers were often blamed whenever infrastructure failed in spite of the involvement of multiple professionals in project delivery.
“If anything happens and a structure collapses, everybody blames the engineer. Nobody talks about the architect, quantity surveyor, builder or other professionals involved.
“Engineers have carried that burden for years, and that is why capacity building is important,” he said.
The President, who emphasised that true professionalism rested on three pillars of knowledge, skills and integrity, urged participants to mentor younger engineers and continuously update their knowledge.
He also encouraged attendees to adopt effective learning habits, including reviewing workshop materials repeatedly to improve knowledge retention and professional competence.
In his remarks, the Director-General of NBRRI, Prof. Samson Duna, said the institute was collaborating with COREN to strengthen forensic engineering capacity in Nigeria.
Duna, who was represented by Juliana Tyoden, the Principal Research Officer of NBRRI, said the institute participated in several investigations of building collapses and conducted extensive research aimed at reducing structural failures.
“Through this collaboration, we are bringing our expertise to train engineers who will become forensic specialists capable of detecting failures and recommending solutions,” he said.
He highlighted the institute’s state-of-the-art laboratories equipped for both destructive and non-destructive testing, as well as advanced transportation research facilities used for testing construction material and improving road durability.
He expressed confidence that participants would acquire practical skills in forensic investigation procedures and engineering testing techniques that would contribute to safer infrastructure development in Nigeria.
