A team of accreditors from the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) on an Outcome-Based Education (OBE) accreditation exercise for the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering at Covenant University has urged the Management of the University to continue creating and sustaining a conducive platform for the accomplishment of training future engineers in the country.
The leader of the accreditation panel, Professor (Engr.) Emmanuel A. Ajav, said this during a courtesy call with the Vice-Chancellor and other members of the accreditation team on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Professor Ajav, who led an 18-member team, said COREN is faced with some existential realities that make it necessary to change the paradigm of the Nigerian engineering education system.
According to him, there is an expansion of engineering programmes in variety and number at various engineering faculties, making it necessary to strengthen their accreditation system, considering the rapid pace of globalization and emerging technologies, which makes it necessary for engineering faculties to meet the requirements of local and international job markets in the engineering and technology sectors.
Professor Ajav said the adoption of OBE will pave the way for the internationalization of Nigerian engineering qualifications and the improvement of the quality, proficiency, and global mobility of engineers, as COREN is a member of the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and Pacific (FEIAP), which will avail Nigerian engineering graduates of opportunities to practice in over 26 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
In addition, he encouraged the University management to support the leadership of the College of Engineering by annually submitting data on matriculated and graduates of engineering programmes in the University to the Council so that they could be part of the database that could benefit from international partnerships and as well participate in the CODET competition of the engineering body.
Professor Ajav, who was accompanied by COREN’s Vice President, Engr. David K. Omonibeke, Chairman, Engineering Accreditation Committee (EAC), Professor (Engr.) John A. Olorunmaiye, members, Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), Professor Megat Johari M.M. Noor, and Dr. Azlan Abdul Aziz, as well as Deputy President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margaret Oguntala (FNSE), Registrar, COREN, Professor (Engr.) Adisa A. Bello, among other eggheads of the body.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, appreciated the team for undertaking the exercise, which the University considers vital in positioning all its engineering programmes on a premium footing to attract higher subscriptions.
Professor Adebayo said the University, being a vision-driven institution, is open to every accreditation exercise as it is always geared toward improving existing processes. According to him, the proprietor-base of the University, led by the Chancellor, Dr David Oyedepo, has been of immense support to the growth and excellent status of the College of Engineering of the University, which in turn has imparted to the outstanding performances of students and faculty in the college at both regional and national competition.
Professor Adebayo told the accreditation team that the engineering programmes at the University are among the best in not just the country but the world, as they were ranked number one in Nigeria and among the top 500 globally by the Times Higher Education (THE) in the 2022 Subject Ranking.
He assured the team of the readiness of the College and University to unlearn and relearn, as the exercise is considered an avenue for the progressive improvement of our processes and creates better opportunities for our graduates as it pertains to best practices. "Quality investment in academic processes is always considered important in training qualified graduates and improving the overall image of the black race," he enthused.
Also present during the courtesy visit were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olujide Adekeye; Acting Registrar, Mrs. Regina Tobi-David; Director, Financial Services, Pastor Olugbenga Kiki; Dean, College of Engineering, Professor David Olukanni; Acting Director, Centre for Learning Resources, Dr. Ada Peters; and Chair, Quality Assurance and Academic Standard, Professor Olubanke Ogunlana.
Others are Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Anthony Ede; Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Joshua Okeniyi; Head, Department of Chemical Engineering, Professor Vincent Efeobokhan; Head, Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Professor Emmanuel Adetiba; Acting Head, Department of Petroleum Engineering, Dr. Olabode Oluwasanmi, and many senior faculty in the College of Engineering.