The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) have partnered with the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) to address engineering failures in the country. This collaboration aims to bring together engineering, forensic science, law, regulation, and investigation to tackle the issue. Engineering failures can result in loss of lives, public resources, safety, and institutional trust.
According to Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbaki, President and Chairman of CIFCFIN, engineering failures are often caused by defective designs, substandard materials, negligent workmanship, inadequate supervision, and compromised safety standards. He also noted that some technical failures could be rooted in fraud, procurement abuse, falsification, conflict of interest, and deliberate circumvention of engineering controls. A 2026 study cited by Gashinbaki identified 111 validated building collapses in Nigeria between 2015 and 2025.
The study revealed that the building collapses resulted in 321 deaths and 344 injuries. Furthermore, an analysis estimated at least N4.6 trillion in losses from fire incidents between 2022 and 2025. These figures underscore the need for Nigeria to shift from reactive responses to evidence-based investigation of engineering and infrastructure failures. Gashinbaki described the partnership with COREN and NBRRI as timely.
Gashinbaki urged regulators, project owners, contractors, professional bodies, and law-enforcement agencies to adopt a culture of evidence-based accountability. He emphasized that forensic engineering could preserve technical evidence needed for regulatory and legal action where negligence, fraud, malpractice, or deliberate compromise of safety was suspected. This approach aims to replace a culture of repairs, abandonment, and silence.
COREN President, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, noted that the collaboration with CIFCFIN would equip engineers with dual competencies in engineering and forensic investigation. He described the initiative as a significant step towards addressing gaps in the investigation of engineering failures, particularly in the construction and built environment sectors. Abubakar called for a critical mass of trained forensic engineering investigators.
Abubakar emphasized that the application of forensic engineering should extend beyond construction to mining, oil and gas, telecommunications, transportation, aviation, and aerospace. The goal is to develop internationally recognised forensic engineering professionals capable of working in Nigeria and globally. He added that the partnership could strengthen engineering regulation and professional capacity.
The partnership between COREN, NIBRRI, and CIFCFIN aims to develop a new generation of forensic engineering investigators. The inaugural cohort of Certified Forensic Engineering Failure Investigators (CEFFI) was recently inducted in Abuja. The collaboration is expected to enhance the investigation of engineering failures and promote accountability in the industry.
Key points
- 111 building collapses were recorded in Nigeria between 2015 and 2025, resulting in 321 deaths and 344 injuries.
- The partnership aims to develop internationally recognised forensic engineering professionals.
- Forensic engineering can preserve technical evidence needed for regulatory and legal action.
