President of Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Bldr Kenneth Nnabuife Nduka has admonished the federal government on the need to enforce building rules and regulation in order to eradicate incidences of building collapse and promote an economy devoid of waste.
He stated this yesterday in Abuja during the 48th Builders Conference/ Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the 50th anniversary of the institute, organised by NIOB with the theme, ‘The Housing Sector in National Economic Development’.
The president stated that time is ripe for federal government to harness the unique roles of builders for national development; a situation he believed would guarantee affordable and safe housing stock and address the activities of quacks and interlopers in the building and construction industry.
Nduka said that the event provided an opportunity to reminiscence on the sustainable development of the built environment, especially in the area of producing buildings to address the housing needs of Nigeria. He said that the provision of shelter is one of the greatest challenges in terms of efficient delivery, environmental safety and responsive need satisfaction.
The president emphasised the role of builders in managing projects environment, providing opportunities for the growth and development of the skills and morale of the field implementation teams. He enjoined all stakeholders in the built industry to join forces with NIOB towards facilitating cost effective, maintainable, sustainable and collapse-free buildings in the country.
On his part, president of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Rev. Ugochukwu Chime lamented that various efforts over the decades to tame the rising deficit have not yielded positive result. This he blamed on challenges in finance to land administration problems; dearth of needed manpower and absence of regulatory environment, which he said resulted in severe blame trading and confusion in the system.
Chime noted that many stakeholders have misunderstood their roles, thus engendering overlaps and gaps in the value chain. LN
