The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest has insisted that Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola has a lot to hide in respect of his academic and professional qualifications, saying; “The governor must explain why he addressed himself as an Engineer prior to October 13, 1999 that he claimed to have received Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN) certificate.”
The party, which commended the Chairman of Transparency International in Nigeria and Executive Secretary, Pan-African Strategic and Police Research Group (PANAFSTRAG), Major Gen. Ishola Williams (rtd) for speaking out on the governor’s certificate scam, said all well-meaning Nigerians must prevail on Governor Aregbesola to speak out on the certificate scam, especially where it concerned COREN. General Ishola Williams had said while reacting to the certificate scam on a Yahoogroup, NaijaPolitics that; “People, let Gov Rauf Aregbesola come clean. It is so simple. If he has lied, then he must step down with some grace and the Deputy takes over. Let us move on.” In a statement signed by its Zonal Publicity Secretary, the PDP while commending Gen Ishola Williams, said; “By COREN regulation, you cannot be addressed as an Engineer without passing through COREN, and you can only aspire to be an Engineer if you are a university graduate of
Engineering or you have obtained Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in the same field after your Higher National Diploma (HND).
“Therefore, the best COREN certificate Aregbesola could have obtained in October 13, 1999 as he claimed was Engineering Technologist, since he claimed to be a holder of HND Mechanical Engineering from The Polytechnic of Ibadan. This only qualifies him to use the titled; Engn. Tech. after his name and not Engr before his name. “Also, Aregbesola claimed to have set up a Engineering Company, Aurora Nigeria Limited 1986, whereas; by virtue of Section 1 (1) Subsections (a) and (b) and Subsections (3) of Section (4) of COREN enabling decree, only COREN is empowered to determine who are engineering personnel and register them in their respective registers.
“The COREN ACT also empowers the Council to register all firms performing Engineering Consultancy services, with emphasis that; ‘no firm shall offer engineering consultancy services unless it is registered by Council.’ In other words, only COREN registered personnel has the rights to sown an Engineering firm or practice as an
Engineer in Nigeria.
“The questions then are; how was Aregbesola able to run Aurora Nigeria Limited in 1986, 13 years before he was issued with COREN certificate? Why did he addressed himself as Engr. Rauf Aregbesola when he was yet to get COREN certificate? And if he actually obtained COREN certificate on October 13, 1999 when he was Lagos State Commissioner for Works, when did he do the mandatory COREN written and oral examinations? What is the title of the written project he submitted to COREN along with the exams?”
refore, the best COREN certificate Aregbesola could have obtained