Abuja: The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) has forged a strategic partnership with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to strengthen enforcement of construction standards. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two building regulators in Abuja aims to address building collapse and other systemic challenges plaguing Nigeria’s construction industry.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the signing ceremony was marked by statements from key officials. The Chairman of CORBON, Samson Opaluwah, emphasized the collaboration as a shared commitment to tackle systemic challenges in the building sector. Opaluwah noted that the MoU establishes a foundation for strong partnership, mutual collaboration, knowledge exchange, capacity building, and joint delivery of national development outcomes by builders and engineers.
Opaluwah highlighted that the partnership aims to maintain the highest levels of professionalism and deploy the best expertise in the development and management of Nigeria’s infrastructures. He outlined the benefits of the MoU, including mutual understanding and appreciation of specific expertise, enhanced capacity building for professionals, sharing of best practices, improved regulation, and increased opportunities for collaboration in research and innovation.
The COREN President, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, spoke on the council’s long-standing role in regulating engineering in Nigeria. He acknowledged the multiple regulators within the construction industry and introduced FORBEN, the Forum for Regulators in the Built Environment of Nigeria, for effective collaboration. Abubakar underscored the importance of cooperation to avoid regulatory gaps that could be exploited and urged CORBON to join hands with COREN in addressing the issue of building collapse.