The Federal Government has tasked professionals in the building industry to come up with strong measures that would address the incessant building collapse across the federation.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola gave the charge at the Architects Colloquium, organized by Architects Registration Council of Nigeria ARCON in Abuja.
Fashola urged professionals to stop faulting people and start taking responsibility for their mistakes to move the country forward.
The minister pledged government commitment by giving Nigerian professionals the opportunity to showcase their expertise in projects development and execution.
According to him, “The Federal Government is thus placing premium on the use of indigenous professionals and firms in the design and execution of projects including those involving national security.
He added that, “Foreign experts will only be engaged when their Nigerian counterparts are not available, Even at that the Nigerian professionals would be attached to understudy them”.
In his goodwill message, the Jigawa State government, Muhammad Badaru who was represented by his deputy, Sen. Ibrahim Hassan urged professionals to address the cost of affordable housing for low income earners.
According to him, “low cost housing is a big issue for us in Nigeria; ARCON should look into the issue with a view to providing affordable housing in states like Jigawa”.
Also speaking, Ekiti State governor Kayode Fayemi also tasked ARCON to partner with Nigerian Governors Forum to tackle building collapse in the country.
Fayemi said, “we do not have enough architects who would be involved in construction across the states. There is need to partner states government in the use of local bricks to achieve the provision of affordable housing for all in the country.
He said this would help in addressing the challenges of building collapse across the country.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the President of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Arc. Dipo Ajayi who also alluded to the Minister’s position stated that Nigeria has the manpower potential to develop and deliver any project of global standard.
Ajayi noted that the Council has taken several initiatives aimed at sanitising the built environment from the perspective of the architects. He also said that with proper policy and planning, potential can be harnessed and channelled towards economic development.
He said to curb incessant building collapse in the country, ARCON has developed a secret code, ARCON Project Registration Number System (APRN ) to ensure that only qualified professionals are certified for any projects.
He further stressed that the secret code will help to check mate quacks and reduce activities that contribute to substandard execution of projects and the menace of building collapse.
” The Council has instituted the ARCON Project Registration Number System ( APRN ) to certify that projects are done by duly registered architects and by so doing ensure that they are executed by the properly constituted teams of building professionals.
While lamenting the menace of building collapse in the country, he noted that honest and competent inspection of construction sites by relevant authorities should be intensified in the country.
