A former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has called for an immediate overhaul of the remuneration structure for engineers in Nigeria.
Similarly, Omisore, who is also the former National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), proposed a 300 per cent upward review of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)’s Scale of Fees.
Speaking at the just-concluded 33rd COREN Engineering Assembly in Abuja, Omisore described the current remuneration framework, last reviewed in 2014, as outdated and grossly unreflective of Nigeria’s economic realities.
“The systemic undervaluation of engineering services in Nigeria is not merely a financial issue. It is a developmental crisis.
“It threatens public safety, undermines infrastructure integrity, and fuels the exodus of engineering talent”, he said.
Omisore, who presented a paper titled: “Building Consensus on Remuneration and Fees Structure for Engineering Services and Businesses in Nigeria”, warned that continued underpayment of engineers risks worsening brain drain, ethical breaches, and the delivery of substandard projects.
He advocated a sweeping reform agenda that includes an immediate review and a 300% increase in COREN’s fee scale, and discipline-specific remuneration frameworks.
His recommendations also include the enforcement of minimum professional fees across both public and private sectors, and mandatory inclusion of licensed engineers in procurement and technical evaluations.
He said: “Each field of engineering faces unique challenges. A one-size-fits-all remuneration scale no longer serves the profession or the nation. We must align our policies with global benchmarks and economic realities.”
Omisore also called on regulatory bodies to enforce professional standards and ensure fair compensation, noting that these reforms are critical to reviving the engineering profession and sustaining Nigeria’s development goals.
