By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Prof. Sadiq Zubair Abubakar on Wednesday, 18th June 2025, led a delegation with the Registrar of COREN Prof O. A.U. Uche and some management staff on a courtesy visit to the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.
A statement from COREN office said the visit was part of the council’s strategic efforts to foster collaboration with JAMB in order to enhance the regulatory enrolment of Engineering and Technology programmes in Nigerian universities.
During the meeting, according to the statement, the COREN President emphasised the need to enforce the Admission Quota System for accredited Engineering and Technology programmes within the Nigerian University System.
Prof. Abubakar highlighted the critical role of regulated enrolment in safeguarding the quality and integrity of Engineering education, reiterating COREN’s commitment to upholding global best practices in the training of engineers and technologists across the country.
The engagement marks a significant step toward harmonising efforts between both agencies to improve standards and accountability in the Nigerian university system, the statement added.
In his response, the JAMB boss acknowledged and commended the desire of COREN to intervene and improve the quality of Engineering Education and enhance the skills, competencies and competitiveness of the graduates of both universities and polytechnics.
He endorsed the request of COREN to regulate the admission/enrolment of young Nigerians into the various engineering and technology programmes similar to the current practice extended to the regulators in the health sector.
Speaking, the registrar recognised the central role engineering and engineering professionals plays in shaping the development of any nation infrastructure and economy. He however cautioned that the proliferation of assessment/accreditation visits by numerous regulators to universities creating a huge burden called for harmonized approach where regulators like COREN can carry out joint accreditation with NUC.
This, according to the registrar, will enhance the quality of the assessment making the accreditation exercise inclusive, more robust and minimise the tendencies for compromise that characterised some of the exercises.
The registrar congratulate COREN for being one of the regulators recognised by federal government in the recent policy shift with NUC.
He advised COREN to capitalise on the development and ensure the identified gaps are addressed.
He concluded that COREN would be able to join the league of regulators with specific regulation on the enrolment and admission into all engineering programmes in the university system, similar to what is happening in the Polytechnics where COREN and NBTE, National Board for Technical Education, are carrying out accreditation of all HND, Higher National Diploma, and ND, National Diploma programmes.