COREN Launches Abia Monitoring Sector, Seals Partnership with MOUAU to Strengthen Engineering Standards

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria has formalized a strategic partnership with Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, as it inaugurated its Engineering Regulation and Monitoring Sector in Abia State, signaling a tighter enforcement regime for engineering standards and infrastructure oversight.

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of COREN, O.A.U. Uche, announced the collaboration during a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, on April 1, 2026.

Uche stated that the newly established monitoring sector is designed to institutionalize compliance, safeguard public infrastructure investments, and enforce professional best practices across the state. He emphasized that the initiative is part of a broader regulatory push to rebuild trust in Nigeria’s engineering ecosystem through stricter oversight and accountability.

He further disclosed that COREN’s engagement with MOUAU would focus on advancing engineering education, strengthening regulatory alignment, and developing a pipeline of certified professionals equipped to meet national infrastructure demands.

Responding, Akanwa underscored the strategic role of engineering in achieving food security, noting that mechanization, processing, storage, and distribution systems are heavily dependent on robust engineering frameworks. She described COREN certification as a non-negotiable benchmark for professionalism and quality assurance within the sector.

The Vice-Chancellor also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to compliance, stating that all institutional projects would continue to engage COREN-certified engineers to guarantee safety and technical integrity. She called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders, stressing that sustainable progress in engineering practice requires coordinated action across academia, regulators, and industry.

The inauguration of the Abia monitoring sector positions COREN to deepen its regulatory footprint in the Southeast, while the partnership with MOUAU is expected to drive capacity building and reinforce standards in both education and professional practice.