The Federal Government has revealed that more than 420 federal roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects have either been completed or significantly advanced under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, as the country marks two years into his tenure.
Senator Barinada Mpigi, Chair of the Senate Committee on Works, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during the opening of the 33rd Engineering Assembly organised by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). Represented by Ashley Emenike, Mpigi delivered a message hailing Nigerian engineers as “strategic nation builders” central to the country’s economic and infrastructural future.
“This administration, through its Renewed Hope Agenda, has prioritised infrastructure as a catalyst for development,” Mpigi stated, citing flagship projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and a swathe of new road, housing, and energy initiatives across the country.
However, while commending progress under Tinubu’s leadership, the senator sounded a stark warning about the mounting toll of engineering failures in Nigeria. “The frequency of building collapses and deteriorating roads is unacceptable,” he said. “It reflects deep flaws in compliance, supervision, and regulation — and sometimes, outright quackery.”
Speaking under the event’s theme — “Advancing Quality Engineering Services and Businesses in Nigeria: Professionalism, Compliance and Remunerations” — Mpigi urged stronger regulatory enforcement and pledged the Senate’s collaboration with COREN to implement stricter building codes and oversight mechanisms nationwide.
COREN, he added, has taken laudable steps by linking participation in its assembly to licence renewal, thereby ensuring that practitioners remain professionally accountable and updated on evolving standards. “This is essential to protecting the public from incompetence and preserving the integrity of the profession,” Mpigi noted.
The conference, which gathered hundreds of engineering professionals from across the country, served as both a celebration of progress and a call to arms. Speakers repeatedly stressed that engineering must be embedded at the heart of Nigeria’s policymaking.
Former Power Minister and Chairman of Geometric Power Group, Prof. Barth Nnaji, used his keynote address to advocate for dedicated innovation funds and technology parks. He argued that Nigeria’s future lies in homegrown, engineering-led solutions, tailored to the country’s specific needs — from solar energy and smart irrigation to climate-resilient housing.
“We often hail lawyers as the learned elite, but engineers are the builders of society,” Nnaji said. “China’s transformation was no accident — its past three leaders were engineers. We must similarly elevate technical expertise to the centre of national strategy.”
Calling for a new generation of “strategic, policy-savvy engineers,” Nnaji encouraged Nigerian professionals to broaden their influence beyond blueprints and construction sites, to the corridors of governance and innovation.
COREN Registrar Okorie Uche also pressed for systemic reforms, urging engineers to tackle the profession’s chronic under-regulation and poor remuneration. “This assembly is a platform for reflection and action,” he said. “We must confront quackery and push for policies that elevate the status and standards of engineering.”
President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Margaret Oguntala, added that collaboration between COREN and NSE would continue to drive professionalism. She stressed the importance of education and fair pay in restoring trust in the sector.
As the engineering community marked its 33rd national assembly, the message was clear: while the Tinubu administration may point to a growing list of completed projects, Nigeria’s infrastructural journey will falter without stricter regulation, greater investment in innovation, and a renewed respect for the profession that underpins national development.
