Tinubu Advocates Tough Sanctions Against Unsafe Engineering Practices

Tinubu Advocates Tough Sanctions Against Unsafe Engineering Practices
Says Engineering Regulation Must Prioritise Public Safety
Calls for Preventive Engineering Regulation at COREN Assembly

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for stronger engineering regulation, stricter enforcement and a balanced sanctions regime to improve public safety and ensure the delivery of durable infrastructure across Nigeria.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that the President made the call while declaring open the 34th Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) in Abuja.

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Represented by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, Tinubu said engineering regulation must evolve from a reactive system into one that is preventive, data-driven and capable of addressing risks before they result in disasters.

Speaking on the theme, “Advancing Public Safety in Nigeria through Strategic Engineering Regulation, Enforcement and a Tiered Sanction Regime,” the President stressed that public safety should remain the foundation of engineering practice.

He noted that engineering extends beyond the construction of roads, bridges, buildings, dams, power systems and digital infrastructure, saying every engineering project directly affects the lives of millions of Nigerians.

“Engineering is not only about roads, bridges, buildings, dams, power systems and digital infrastructure. It includes the safety of the child walking to school, the trader travelling to the market, the patient being rushed to hospital and every Nigerian who depends on public infrastructure,” he said.

Tinubu warned that engineering failures often result in loss of lives, wasted investments and declining public confidence, adding that effective regulation is essential to preventing such occurrences.

According to him, COREN plays a vital role in protecting Nigerians by ensuring only qualified professionals undertake engineering projects and by promoting compliance with established standards.

“Regulation should not be seen as punishment. Regulation is protection. It protects the public from incompetence, clients from poor delivery, government from waste, investors from failed infrastructure and, most importantly, it protects lives,” he said.

The President maintained that engineering regulation should cover every stage of infrastructure development, including planning, design, construction, supervision, maintenance and eventual decommissioning.

I Am An Apostle Of A Free Press - Tinubu — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

He also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to delivering long-lasting infrastructure, noting that ongoing road projects are designed to last between 50 and 100 years.

“Every road project that we are doing has a life span of between 50 and 100 years. This is a complete departure from previous practice where most roads never lasted up to five years,” Tinubu stated.

Earlier, COREN President, Prof. Zubair Abubakar, said the theme of the assembly reflected the council’s responsibility to protect lives through effective engineering regulation.

He noted that engineering failures often have devastating consequences and stressed the need for stronger compliance monitoring, enforcement and accountability within the profession.

Abubakar highlighted several achievements recorded by COREN, including collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to introduce admission quotas for engineering programmes aimed at improving the quality of engineering education.

He also disclosed that the council had intensified compliance inspections on infrastructure projects nationwide, strengthened enforcement against unsafe engineering practices, expanded digital registration and verification services, enhanced professional development programmes and adopted engineering intelligence alongside risk-based regulation to prevent potential failures.

Despite the progress, he identified persistent quackery, poor compliance with engineering standards, weak enforcement, ageing infrastructure and rapid technological changes as major challenges facing the sector.

He urged stakeholders to embrace predictive regulation, ethical practice, technology-driven systems and stronger collaboration to improve public safety.

Also speaking, President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, represented by the company’s Chief Economist, Prof. Hassan Mahmoud, described engineering as a public trust that directly influences public safety, industrial development and investor confidence.

He said effective engineering regulation should focus on preventing failures rather than responding after incidents occur.

“Good regulation is an investment enabler. Countries that attract long-term capital are those where investors trust engineering standards because quality engineering reduces risk and life-cycle costs,” he said.

Drawing from the experience of the Dangote Refinery project, Mahmoud said strict adherence to engineering standards and safety principles had remained central throughout the project’s execution.

He also advocated transparent and proportionate sanctions that distinguish between administrative mistakes, professional negligence and deliberate misconduct, while calling for zero tolerance for repeated violations that endanger lives.

Mahmoud further urged regulators to address underlying institutional challenges, including poor procurement processes, political interference and the disregard for professional advice, stressing that tackling these issues would significantly improve engineering standards across the country.