Delta Government says it has created two committees to ensure quality project execution in line with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN) Act.
Gôvernor Sheriff Oborevwori disclosed this on Thursday while receiving the delegation of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), led by its president, Margaret Oguntala, at the Government House, Asaba.
The two committees are the State Technical Committee and the Delta State Expatriate Monitoring Committee.
Oborevwori said the creation of the two committees preceded the state’s domestication of the Engineering Regulations Monitoring Programme for the enhancement of quality job delivery in the state.
He congratulated Oguntala, being the 34th and the first female president of NSE.
He said the engineering profession in Nigeria had witnessed remarkable progress in the last two decades.
“In Delta State, we have since domesticated the Engineering Regulations Monitoring Programme with the creation of the State Technical Committee and Delta State Expatriate Monitoring Committee in accordance with the COREN Act to monitor the quality of jobs.
“I believe that the engineering regulations monitoring programme will strengthen the existing quality control mechanism and boost the practice of engineering in the state.
“It might also interest you to know that we have a policy of regularly organising training and special courses for engineers in the civil service to update their knowledge and skills on a continual basis.
“We believe in capacity building; hence, we appoint qualified engineers into positions of Director and Permanent Secretary in relevant fields,” he said.
Oborevwori said his administration had zero tolerance for sub-standard jobs.
“That is why we engaged a competent company as Julius Berger Plc to execute three flyovers, a cloverleaf, pedestrian bridges and road expansion projects in the Warri and Effurun metropolis,” he said.
Earlier, Oguntala lauded Oborevwori for his administration’s developmental strides.
She said they were in the state for the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the society.
She urged the state government to sustain its capacity-building efforts for engineers through dedicated training programmes to enhance their skills and expertise.
According to Oguntala, NSE is well positioned to partner with the government vis-a-vis training and retraining programmes for engineers in the state.
She praised the governor for approving Grade Level Nine (GL 9) as the entry point for engineers in the state civil service.
She, however, appealed for qualified engineers to be appointed to head engineering-related state Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure professionalism and effective service delivery.
“The implementation of an enhanced salary scale for engineers further underscores your administration’s dedication to promoting an environment where engineering professionals can thrive and contribute meaningfully to the growth of the state,” Oguntala said.
