The management of the University of Abuja has denounced recent media reports attributed to the Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Adisa Ademola Bello, regarding the status of certain engineering programmes in the university.
The university management stated that the comments were not only misleading but also an attempt to undermine the “integrity of our engineering programmes.”
The response from UniAbuja to COREN was conveyed in a statement released over the weekend in Abuja by the acting Director of Information and University Relations, Dr. Habib Yakoob.
Yakoob recalled that in 2015, after undergoing a rigorous review process by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and COREN, the University of Abuja received full accreditation for its Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering programmes, as well as interim accreditation for its Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programmes.
“Since then, the university has successfully graduated numerous cohorts of students, many of whom have gone on to make significant contributions in their respective fields to national development.
“Attempting to discredit such a breakthrough through a press conference by the COREN Registrar, who until recently served as the external examiner for one of the engineering programmes at our university, is nothing short of blackmail,” he stated.
Part of the statement read: “While it is true that Colin wrote a couple of times requesting to visit the university for the purpose of ‘outcome-based education (OBE) accreditation of chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering,’ their disregard for the challenges faced by the University of Abuja for several months due to strike actions and the outbreak of COVID-19 is, to say the least, upsetting.
“Let it be known that the University of Abuja has never shied away from exposing its facilities to regulatory bodies, especially when a lot of rapid infrastructural and academic developments have been taking place at the university for some time now.
“Just a few days ago, the University received good news from the National Universities Commission (NUC) approving three of its engineering programmes: B Eng in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, B Eng in Architecture, and B Eng in Agricultural Engineering.
“These programmes were approved along with 23 others presented by the university during the NUC’s resource verification exercise. This is indeed no mean feat.
“The University of Abuja acknowledges the importance of accreditation in ensuring that our engineering graduates meet the necessary professional qualifications and standards. However, this does not grant Colin the right to rush our institution through a needless press conference.
“We believe that as a professional body, COREN should develop a more effective mechanism for engaging with universities instead of their current ‘headmaster approach’ to issues that require cordiality.
“The management expresses sincere gratitude to students, staff, alumni, parents, and the wider community for their unwavering support amidst the unfortunate comments by Colin about the status of the engineering programmes and its threat to blacklist the university.
“As we continue to provide high-quality education, comprehensive support services, and opportunities for personal and professional growth in all our programmes, we appeal to everyone to remain calm and reinforce their belief in the integrity, professionalism, and standards that the University of Abuja has maintained for years now,” it stated.
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