The Engineering Regulations Monitoring team of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria has threatened to sanction erring contractors over recruitment of non-COREN licensed engineers.
Aku Agabi, Head of COREN Engineering Regulations, gave the warning on Tuesday in Lokoja during an inspection of the ongoing Obajana-Kabba road rehabilitation project.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 43 kilometres road project, awarded to AG Dangote Construction was being executed using concrete rigid pavement instead of the usual asphalt pavement.
Agabi said the inspection was part of the mandate of COREN to ensure that COREN licensed engineers were recruited for construction projects in the country.
He said the inspection was also to ensure compliance with the project’s specification, adding that the mandate of COREN was also to regulate the practice of engineering in Nigeria.
He said: “We are here as directed by the leadership of COREN to look at the project and ensure that the contractor is working in compliance with the rules and regulations.
“The idea is for us to compare notes and offer necessary support to ensure that the project is delivered in line with specifications.
“The visit is also to ensure that the consultant, contractor and their engineers are COREN licensed.”
He urged engineers in the country to key into the use of concrete rigid pavement for construction in the country, adding that it was a new innovation.
According to him, the advantage of the innovation from the information available to us is that, almost 90 per cent of materials being used in the project are sourced locally.
Kalejaiye Bosun, the Project Director, AG Dangote Construction, said the project was awarded in 2015 with two years duration, but added that construction work resumed at the site in 2017.
He pledged that the project would be completed in December as scheduled, adding that the project was currently 60 per cent completed.