Nigeria's engineering regulator sends two engineers to tribunal over a canopy collapse and an Abuja building failure

COREN's governing council signed off on two investigation panels' reports at its 191st meeting, held Oct. 15 in Abuja, and passed them to the tribunal, which is expected to summon both engineers. That is according to a statement signed by registrar Okorie Uche and published on Nov. 9 by Daily Trust and CED Magazine.

In Gombe, a reinforced concrete cantilever canopy over the entrance of the State House of Assembly complex, still under construction, came down on the afternoon of July 10. The panel reviewed how the canopy was designed, supervised and built. It found a prima facie case against an engineer of the consulting firm Ramad Consultant Ltd.

In Abuja, the failure was a three-storey building under construction on Plot 481, Cadastral Zone B13, in Gaduwa District. The probe started with a petition and referral from the development control department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration. The panel found a prima facie case against the project's consultant engineer.

COREN said a prima facie finding gives grounds for further proceedings and is not a final ruling on guilt or liability; both engineers will be able to respond. The statement did not say what sanctions the tribunal can impose. At the same meeting the council approved a final draft of national construction safety guidelines for gazetting and backed a plan to award engineering contracts only to firms registered with COREN.