The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to bolster the enforcement of construction standards across the country.
 The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two regulatory bodies was signed on Thursday in Abuja. The agreement seeks to tackle the recurring issue of building collapses and address broader systemic challenges within Nigeria’s construction industry.
During the signing ceremony, CORBON Chairman, Samson Opaluwah, emphasised that the collaboration reflects a joint commitment to resolving longstanding issues in the building sector.
“This marks a significant milestone in our shared efforts to promote professional excellence, collaborative project delivery, and the optimal use of human resources within Nigeria’s built environment,” Opaluwah said.
He noted that the MoU provides a framework for enhanced cooperation, knowledge sharing, capacity development, and joint implementation of national development initiatives by professionals in the building and engineering fields.
“Infrastructure development and management are central to any modern society. Nations must harness their full potential, particularly human capital, in the effective delivery of such projects a role our members are poised to fulfil.
“Together, we aim to promote best practices and drive improvements in project management, quality assurance, and innovative methods across the construction and engineering sectors,” he added.
Opaluwah further stated that the partnership seeks to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ensure that expert knowledge is applied in the development and management of infrastructure nationwide.
He outlined the benefits of the MoU, including improved mutual understanding of each profession’s scope, enhanced professional capacity for registered practitioners, and the exchange of best practices and innovations in the sector. Additional gains include better regulation and monitoring, increased collaborative research, and the development of more efficient infrastructure solutions.
He commended COREN for its willingness to prioritise cooperation over rivalry, stating that such collaboration is essential for sustainable growth.
Also Read:Â NCC Directs Telecoms to Alert Users on Major Network Outages
Also speaking, COREN President, Professor Sadiq Abubakar, noted that the council, which has been in existence for over 53 years, is charged with regulating engineering practice in Nigeria.
“The focus today is the construction sector, which is overseen by several regulatory bodies. CORBON and COREN are just two of seven such agencies in the built environment.
“To promote effective collaboration, we established the Forum for Regulators in the Built Environment of Nigeria (FORBEN),” he explained.
He stressed the importance of unity among regulatory agencies to prevent overlaps and gaps that could be exploited.
“If we choose to compete rather than collaborate, the nation stands to lose. Regulatory gaps resulting from rivalry create vulnerabilities within the system,” he said.
Professor Abubakar described building collapse as a national crisis and called on CORBON to work closely with COREN to close existing regulatory gaps.
