The National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have approved the enforcement of admission quotas for engineering and technology programmes in Nigerian universities to improve the quality of engineering education and practical training.

The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, announced the approval on Tuesday during a media briefing ahead of the council’s 34th Engineering Assembly in Abuja.

Abubakar said the approval would ensure universities admit only the number of students their infrastructure, laboratories, workshops, equipment and academic staff can adequately support.

He said, “I am happy to inform the nation that we have finally gotten the approval and endorsement of both the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to enforce admission quotas in all engineering and technology programmes run by Nigerian universities.

“What this means is that the engineering profession has now come to the level of the medical profession, the legal profession, the pharmaceutical profession and similar disciplines where admissions are carefully regulated to ensure quality.

“We are trying to ensure there is a quality training regime at the university level so that we produce competent graduates with stronger hands-on competencies who will not only practise successfully in Nigeria but compete favourably anywhere in the world.”

He described the development as the culmination of decades of advocacy by the engineering profession, noting that unrestricted admissions had overstretched facilities and weakened practical training in many institutions.

“This is going to be a game changer for our country and for the workforce Nigeria is likely going to export globally. Engineering is becoming increasingly global, and our graduates must possess the practical competence required to compete internationally,” he said.

According to him, the council is also working with the National Board for Technical Education to introduce similar admission controls for engineering programmes in polytechnics.

Abubakar disclosed that COREN had reintroduced the indexing and oath-taking of engineering graduates, as well as the mandatory one-year Engineering Residency Programme for degree and Higher National Diploma holders before proceeding for the National Youth Service Corps.

He said the residency programme was designed to provide graduates with structured industrial exposure before they begin their professional careers.

The COREN president also announced that the council had trained and certified 239 engineering infrastructure failure and forensic investigators to investigate engineering failures, including building collapses, bridge failures and industrial accidents.

He added that 839 engineering programme evaluators drawn from academia and industry had also been trained to strengthen accreditation and quality assurance in universities and polytechnics.

Abubakar said the council had intensified compliance inspections nationwide, expanded its regional offices, digitised its registration process and reactivated its disciplinary tribunal as part of efforts to strengthen engineering regulation.

He warned that engineering failures often stem from non-compliance with professional standards.

“We now have a critical mass of engineering infrastructure failure and forensic investigators in Nigeria who are ready to commence this important regulatory assignment.

“The objective is to determine scientifically what went wrong whenever engineering infrastructure fails, identify those responsible and recommend measures that will prevent future occurrences,” he stated.

The COREN president said this year’s Engineering Assembly, themed “Advancing Public Safety in Nigeria Through Strategic Engineering Regulation, Enforcement and Tiered Sanctioning Regime,” would focus on strengthening engineering governance and reducing infrastructure failures across the country.

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Nigeria’s first Manufacturing Technology University Innovation Pod (Manu-Tech UniPod) was formally launched on Monday at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State.

The landmark project is a joint initiative of the Federal Government, the United Nations Development Programme, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Abia State Government.

Speaking during the inauguration, Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, said the establishment of the Manu-Tech UniPod reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning higher education as a catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship, research commercialisation and job creation.

Describing it as a “strategic investment in Nigeria’s future,” the Vice President said universities must evolve beyond traditional teaching and research to become hubs for enterprise development, technology transfer and industrial competitiveness.

According to the Vice President, “This initiative represents far more than the commissioning of another university facility.

“It is the unveiling of the broad national vision that positions our universities as agents of industrial transformation, innovation, enterprise creation, and sustainable economic development.”

According to him, “Let me reaffirm the unwavering commitment of the Federal Government to creating an educational system that develops talent, drives innovation, accelerates industrialisation, and contributes meaningfully to the achievement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion Nigerian economy by the year 2030.”

In his keynote address titled, Science Meets Enterprise, Abia State Governor Alex Otti said the siting of the UniPod in Abia speaks to the confidence the UNDP and the Federal Government have in the state’s potential as an engine of growth and economic prosperity in the region.

He noted that the confidence reposed in Abia by the partners was yielding tangible results, adding that the event demonstrated that confidence, and appreciated the siting of the project in the state.

According to the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, H.E. Ahunna Eziakonwa, “This Innovation Pod—this UniPod—is one thread in that grand tapestry. Here, in Abia State, Nigeria, we believe in the impossible.

“What this Innovation Pod represents is more than a physical space. It is a commitment to unlock the creative and innovative potential of Africa’s youth. Here, engineering meets art. Business meets social enterprise. The boundaries between disciplines dissolve. Here, failure is a critical step in innovation. Here, diversity of thought is our greatest asset.”

Also speaking, the Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, Ms Elsie Attafuah, described the occasion as “a remarkable journey of innovation that is unfolding across Nigeria,” adding, “Today’s launch is one important response to that vision. It is also a response to the confidence that His Excellency placed in our partnership when he challenged UNDP to help position Abia as Nigeria’s leading hub for innovation-driven industrial transformation.”

While acknowledging the contribution of TETFund under the leadership of Arc. Sonny Echono, she said, “Across Nigeria, TETFund is helping to deliver strategic infrastructure in our universities.”

She added, “UNDP is mobilising US$1 billion to help build Africa’s largest innovation ecosystem, supporting 10,000 startups, enabling 1,000 high-growth ventures to scale, improving the livelihoods of over 100 million people, and generating US$10 billion in value across the continent over the next decade.”

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Prof. Ursala Akanwa, described the commissioning as a defining moment in the university’s history.

She said the project represents the fulfilment of the institution’s mandate to deploy science, technology and innovation in advancing agricultural development, manufacturing and enterprise.

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A visually impaired freshman at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Ogunsua-Dixon Tijesuni, has recounted how she survived a brain tumour, multiple surgeries and years of rehabilitation to emerge as the country’s best matriculating candidate in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Equal Opportunity Group for Persons with Disabilities.

Tijesuni, a 100-level Mass Communication student, spoke exclusively with The PUNCH on Monday, after she was recently honoured at the maiden Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, where she was recognised alongside six other outstanding matriculants from the 2025 admission exercise.

The Ondo State-born student scored 288 in the 2025 UTME and recorded an aggregate score of 81.2 per cent to emerge top in the disability category.

She said her ordeal began at the age of 11, when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour while in Junior Secondary School 2.

Tijesuni said, “I was diagnosed with a brain tumour at age 11. At that point, I had lost partial function of my left limb. My parents did not want to disrupt my education, so they asked me to wait until after secondary school before undergoing surgery,” she said.

Tijesuni said her condition worsened in Senior Secondary School 3, when she began to lose her sight gradually.

“While writing my WAEC, I knew I was struggling to read the question paper, but I pushed on. I didn’t think it was blindness. I later wrote JAMB and scored 225 to study Law at the University of Ibadan,” she said.

She added that shortly after the examination, she collapsed at home, prompting urgent medical intervention.

“Not long after writing the examination, I fainted at home, and doctors said the tumour had been there for too long and I needed surgery immediately,” she said.

Recounting the moment she was first diagnosed, Tijesuni described it as the most traumatic phase of her life.

“I was 11 years old when they told my parents I had a brain tumour. I remember looking at the brain scan and seeing the mass. I told the doctor, ‘I am not mad.’ I told my mum the same thing. I kept saying there was nothing wrong with me,” she said.

She added that, despite her initial denial, she was deeply frightened by the diagnosis.

“I was shaking so much because I was actually petrified. My self-esteem dropped a lot because I could no longer participate in sports. I was stumbling, dragging my leg. I was a wreck of myself. That was the life-changing moment,” she said.

Tijesuni recalled that her early symptoms had been persistent migraines and weakness in her limbs, which were initially misunderstood.

“The initial symptoms were headaches – serious migraines. It was what my nurse in the US would describe as migraines that only affect adults. She would ask what I was thinking. I remember using a lot of medications. I noticed weakness in my left arm, and I wasn’t able to use it,” she said.

She underwent brain surgery in January 2018 at the age of 16, by which time her sight had deteriorated significantly.

Before the diagnosis, Tijesuni said she had been actively involved in sports.

“I was captain of the female basketball team in primary school. I also played football, badminton and was learning how to swim. Then my left arm stopped functioning well, and I started walking awkwardly,” she said.

After three years of rehabilitation in Ibadan, she was moved to the Blind Centre in Oshodi, Lagos, where she received training in mobility and independent living.

She also underwent hospitality and broadcasting training before deciding to return to formal education.

“At that point, I decided that I needed to go back to school. So I wrote another WAEC in 2025, sat JAMB again and started processing my admission,” she said.

According to her, doctors believe there is a possibility of regaining her sight, but the required neurological rehabilitation technology is not available in Nigeria.

“My consultant said there is a chance for me to regain my sight, but unfortunately that technology is not available in Nigeria,” she said.

Tijesuni noted that she had always aspired to become a medical doctor or lawyer, but had to adjust her academic path due to her condition.

“I come from a long line of teachers, so there were expectations. I wanted to be a doctor. Later, I wanted to be a lawyer—an advocate really. It’s not that I gave up law, but I had to adjust, and I chose Communication,” she said.

She added that losing her sight changed her outlook on life.

“I didn’t really feel anything losing my sight at first. But years later, I began to say, ‘God, I just want to see again.’ Sometimes I would pick up a book and wonder why I couldn’t just read it myself,” she said.

On how she had been attending to her studies, Tijesuni commended UNILAG for its disability-friendly environment and support system.

“God bless UNILAG. There are ramps in different parts of the school. My classmates and lecturers are very supportive whenever I need assistance,” she said.

She also expressed gratitude to JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group for providing accessible arrangements for candidates with disabilities.

“Thanks to Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, they started this programme where we are lodged and taken to the examination centre. Each person with a disability was allowed to come with a carer. We wrote the examination at UNILAG using laptops, Braille slates or typewriters,” she said.

Tijesuni described receiving the Rite Foods award as a moment of surprise and validation.

“The day I confirmed I had been selected for the Rite scholarship was a shock. I had never been so honoured in my life,” she said.

She urged government and employers to create more opportunities for persons with disabilities, lamenting what she described as weak welfare and employment structures.

“There is no welfare structure for people living with disabilities in Nigeria. Very rarely do companies employ persons with disabilities. Once you show up with a disability, you are judged as unable to do anything. If there was more support, people would see what we can do because there are many talented persons with disabilities,” she said.

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