Minister Inaugurates Expanded Ministerial Task Team On Building Collapse

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has inaugurated an expanded Ministerial Task Team on building collapse

The expanded Task Team which comprises representatives of key Professional bodies and Regulatory agencies in the built environment, as well as professional staff of technical departments of the ministry was inaugurated yesterday in Abuja.

The professional bodies and regulatory agencies that were included in the task team are the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) as well as the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN), Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) including the Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON), Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), and Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG).

Dangiwa, in his remarks, frowned at the alarming frequency of building collapse incidents in Nigeria, describing it as unacceptable and a national embarrassment.

Expressing the eagerness of the government to end the menace, the Minister stated that, he had earlier last year approved for the constitution of a Committee on Building Collapse in Nigeria to examine the root causes of the problem and propose practical and sustainable solutions
He informed the committee, under the leadership of Arch. Maji Liberty Alkali submitted its report, proposing 18 key recommendations.

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Dangiwa further informed that he subsequently directed that the committee be expanded to include key regulatory and professional bodies in the built environment, to allow for a broad-based implementation, pointing out that the issue of building collapse was not the responsibility of any one profession but a deeply interconnected challenge that cuts across architecture, engineering, quantity surveying, town planning, land surveying, among others.

The minister stressed on the need for a holistic approach and collaborations across all professions in the building process.

He remarked that architects must ensure that designs meet safety standards, Engineers must guarantee that structural calculations are sound, Quantity surveyors must confirm that costs and material specifications align, Builders must execute construction with integrity, and more.

The Terms of Reference for the reconstituted committee includes; examining the eighteen approved recommendations and advising the ministry on phased and effective strategies for their implementation, developing a comprehensive roadmap for addressing systemic, technical, legal, and institutional challenges associated with building collapse.

Others, according to the minister, are; proposing a national legislation to strengthen effective oversight of the federal government on building construction, as well as designing a compliance checklist and framework for regulatory and professional bodies to enhance oversight, promote accountability, and ensure adherence to standards and ethics in building construction and approvals.

Arc. Dangiwa reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to support the committee’s work; “I have directed the permanent secretary to ensure that the necessary resources and coordination mechanisms are put in place to enable you deliver on your mandate”, he said.

“Once your roadmap and action plan are submitted, I will work closely with relevant arms of government, both at the federal and subnational levels, to ensure the seamless implementation of your recommendations. We will also explore the possibility of integrating key aspects of your work into national housing and urban development policies and regulations”, he further added.