Buhari signs Engineers Amendment Act into law | Nairalaw

President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the Engineers
(Registration etc) Amendment Act, 2019.

The principal Act establishes the Council for Regulation of
Engineering in Nigeria – COREN’ with power vested.

According to the Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly
matters (Senate), Ita Enang, the new amendment has broadened the
powers of COREN with far-reaching powers of prosecution of
infractions, regulating industrial training of Engineers, capacity
building of local content in Nigeria engineering industry.

Specifically, he said, the new law grants COREN powers of:
“prosecuting any person or firm that contravenes the provisions of
this Act in a court of competent jurisdiction; .regulating
industrial training schemes in engineering practitioners and
students;

(I)..ensuring capacity building and monitoring local content
development in the Nigerian engineering industry through –
mandatory attachment of Nigerians to expatriate engineers on major
projects to understudy them from inception

“(ii) ensuring that all foreign engineering firms establish
their design offices in Nigeria. (iii) granting of compulsory
attestation to all expatriate quota for engineering practitioners,
including turnkey project, that there are no qualified and
competent Nigerians for the job in question at the time of
application and that granting of the expatriate quota shall be
contingent on training of such number of persons as may be required
for the execution of the job, and;

“(iv) ensuring that, before being allowed to practice in
Nigeria, such foreign engineering practitioners granted work
permit, register with the council and obtain such licenses as may
be required from time to time; (h) investigating engineering
failures.’’

He said that the new Act further admits into the Council (COREN)
the following: “Nigerian Association of Technologists in
Engineering
Nigerian Society of Engineering Technicians, and Nigerian
Association of Engineering Craftsmen, and
One person each appointed to represent the –Association for
Consulting Engineering in Nigeria,
Federation of Construction Industry in Nigeria Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria, and Armed Forces in rotation.’’

The Council, he said, is now entitled to maintain a fund into
which shall be paid money appropriated by the National Assembly,
subventions, fees, charges for services rendered or publications
made, donations, engineering development levy, among others.

“On NYSC, the Amendment states:
(14) (i)‘’The Directorate of the National Youth Service Corps shall
ensure posting of graduate engineers and technologists to places of
relevant professional engineering experience.
(ii) Pursuant to the provision of subsection (i), the Directorate
of National Youth Service Corps shall communicate the location of
graduate engineers and engineering technologists to the
Council.’’

The Act broaden engineering ‘’practitioners to include a
registered Engineer, Engineering technologist, Engineering
technician and Engineering craftsman. It emphasis more on
engineering practitioners as against ‘engineer.’

“The Act has been remitted in accordance with standard legal
procedures.” Enang stated

Niger Govt to Spend N5.7b on Relocation of Madalla
Market on Abuja-Kaduna Expressway

Apparently disturbed by traffic gridlock, perpetual accidents
and environmental hazzards on Abuja- Kaduna Expressway at Madalla
market in Suleja Local Government, Niger State government has
approved the relocation and construction of a new market.

Commissioner for Investment, Commerce and Industry, Hon. Mudi
Mohammed announced the approval after the weekly state executive
council meeting in Minna, the state capital.

The new market which would be built under a Public Private
Partnership (PPP) arrangement of “ Built, Operate and Transfer”
will cost N5.7 billion.

According to the Commissioner, “Madalla Market has become an
issue of concern for the state government as a result of perpetual
accidents occurring within the market likewise the toll it’s
activities has on free movement of vehicles along Kaduna -Abuja
Express way. This obviously does not speak well for the traders and
commuters on the road and also to commercial activities in the
area.

“It is on this note that the state ministry of investment
proposed for the relocation and construction of the new market
which was duly approved at the cost of N5,705,422,422,032 for a
period of 15 years”

“As planned, the state government will need three years for
construction of new stalls, two years for sales to traders and give
five more years for the management of remaining stalls not sold by
the government, if any. We will be giving five more years for the
developer to recoup his money, in case he fails to do so before
then. ”

Muhammed further said that the government is optimistic that the
relocation will bring about development to the state, eliminate the
unnecessary accidents occurring within the market, improve urban
sanitation and increase the internally generated revenue of the
local government and the state.

He added that “the relocation will, most importantly, provide
employment opportunities to our teeming youths as a lot of jobs
will be created. ”

Alhaji Danjuma Sallau
Hon Commissioner for Information and Strategy