***Says COREN, BPP Should Enforce Standards, Accountanolity
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale A. Adedokun, has commended the critical role engineers play in nation-building.
He made the remark during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to the temporary office of the Bureau in Abuja.
Dr. Adedokun said that engineers’ role in nation-building could not be overemphasized, even as he underscored a shared responsibility by COREN and BPP to enforce standards in infrastructure development and procurement practices.
According to him, “COREN and BPP have a joint responsibility to enforce standards and accountability across infrastructure development and procurement practices.”
“If engineers across the country work with the same dedication I see from those within this Bureau, Nigeria would not be grappling with failed roads and substandard infrastructure,” he stated.
Dr. Adedokun emphasized the need for engineers to go beyond contracts and transactions to become key influencers in policy formulation, project conceptualization, and decision-making processes.
“Engineers must think globally and embrace innovation and technology. We must re-engineer ourselves and support young talent,” he said.
He also expressed the Bureau’s commitment to deepening collaboration with COREN to ensure that only registered and qualified engineers were engaged in public procurement and project execution.
He pledged that BPP would return procurement requests involving unregistered engineers if such lists were submitted by COREN.
Calling for urgent reforms in capacity building, Dr. Adedokun remarked that procurement guidelines and engineering practices must be updated to meet modern demands.
He took the opportunity of the meeting to plead with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to reconsider posting engineering graduates to teach in secondary schools.
Dr Adedokun specifically advocated targeted mentorship and internship for engineering graduates in relevant government agencies and institutions where their practical knowledge could be broadened and incrementally utilized in developing relevant critical sectors of the economy.
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He expressed BPP’s willingness to open its doors to young engineering graduates and NYSC members for internships.
President and Chairman of COREN, Engr. Prof. Sadiq Abubakar expressed appreciation for the warm reception accorded to his team by the Bureau.
The President commended the ongoing bill procurement reforms at BPP. He also expressed appreciation for the strides being made in enhancing transparency and efficiency in public procurement processes.
Prof. Abubakar praised the quality of work and setup in the new temporary office of BPP located at the Bank of Industries (BOI) building, noting it as a testament to effective operational management. The commendation underscored the potential for synergistic collaboration between COREN and BPP in promoting professionalism and best practices in their respective domains.
Prof Abubakar said that COREN was given mandate in 1972 with a lot of bodies under them and noted that COREN was not designed only for engineers but also technologist, technicians, craftsmen and the artisans.
He further stated that there was substantial equivalent assessment to activate global benchmarking.
According to him, “COREN is also working on mutual recognition agreement which has gone up to 90% completion. Registration has been on for the last 40yrs in COREN and we are ready to share our data base with BPP.”
He highlighted a historical overview of COREN, emphasizing its roles and achievements over the years in the establishment of other agencies such as the Nigeria Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He underscored COREN’s collaboration with National University Commission (NUC) in the accreditation of engineering programmes in Nigerian University.
He also commended COREN’s strides in achieving global recognition for the engineering profession in Nigeria.
During the visit, both parties agreed to set up a team to drive strategic discussions towards achieving a Memorandum of Understanding.
