Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A former Minister of Power and current Chairman of Geometric Power Group, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has called for increased investment in research and development, intellectual property protection, engineering education as well as innovation hubs. Nnaji spoke at the 33rd COREN Engineering Assembly in Abuja, themed: “Advancing Quality Engineering Services and Businesses in Nigeria, Professional Compliance and Remuneration,” an event, which brought together regulators, engineers, lawmakers, and policy advocates. It came even as COREN sought the collaboration of subnational governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to address the challenge of non-compliance with engineering standards, which often lead to infrastructure failures. Nnaji, who argued that engineers are not just technical professionals but strategic nation builders who deserve a central seat at the policymaking table, called on the government at all levels to integrate them into national development planning. Citing the example of China, he noted that that country’s extraordinary development over the past few decades was no accident, but the result of engineers holding key leadership positions. He urged Nigerian engineers to become more than just technical operatives, but strategic thinkers, policy advocates and innovators who understand global trends and can localize solutions for the country’s unique challenges. While urging engineers to forge partnerships with the government, he stated that this would ensure that Nigeria not only keeps pace with global advances, but leads in innovation, sustainability, and inclusive development. “We live in an era marked by rapid technological evolution: robotics, renewable energy, smart infrastructure, block chain, and the internet. The world is changing rapidly and so must we. This calls for the Nigerian engineering community to embrace continuous learning, to be agile, and to lead the adoption of emerging technologies in ways that suit our local context,” he said. In his intervention, COREN President, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, said that as a regulatory body, COREN has the mandate to regulate and control the engineering education, training and practice of engineering, emphasising the importance of collaboration in ensuring that engineering projects are executed in accordance with established codes and standards. “COREN is assiduously working to cover the 36 states and the FCT before the end of 2026. So, I call on captains of industry, state governments and the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, to join hands with COREN technical committees in the states, expatriate monitoring committees and other sectorial regulators. “This is to curb the dangerous trends of non-compliance with codes and standards leading to engineering failures occurring in the various sectors. The trends have caused loss of lives, properties, investments and loss of confidence in the engineering profession,” he said. Abubakar said that achieving the target would advance quality engineering services and businesses in Nigeria. In his opening remarks, COREN Registrar, Okorie Uche, called for a renewed commitment to professionalism and quality service delivery, describing the assembly as a platform to challenge assumptions, confront under-regulation, and push for systemic change. COREN, he said, remains committed to addressing quackery, non-compliance, and poor service delivery, while advocating for policy reforms and better compensation frameworks for engineers across the country. A former Senate Chief Whip, Iyiola Omisore, presented a report on the urgent need to review Nigeria’s engineering fees and remuneration framework, calling the current regime “structurally deficient and developmentally dangerous.” Drawing comparisons with international best practices in countries like the UK, USA, and South Africa, Omisore lamented the continued reliance on the outdated 2014 COREN Scale of Fees, which he said fails to reflect inflationary realities, professional depth, and discipline-specific complexity in engineering. “Undervaluing engineering services is not just an economic problem, it is a national development crisis. We are witnessing systemic brain drain, ethical erosion, poor infrastructure quality, and unsafe public works, all stemming from a culture of underpricing and neglect, he said. President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Margaret Oguntala, echoed the call for reforms, noting that quality education and fair remuneration are crucial to restoring professionalism. She assured COREN of NSE’s continued collaboration in championing engineering integrity and excellence.