Institute Advocates Use Of Technology In Built Industry

The president of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Sir. Alderton Ewa has called on stakeholders at various levels of the built environment to adopt technological tools in their trade in order to overcome the challenges in the industry.

Speaking at a ceremony in Abuja where he was installed as the 22nd president of the institute, Sir Ewa called on stakeholders in the industry to strengthen ties with the Institute in its determination to leave no stone unturned in the quest to sanitize the industry and guarantee integrity of public and private buildings in the country.

According to him, his team will be vocal on the relevance of effective regulatory compliance and enforcement of laws in the built environment, stating that it will help to address challenges of the industry.

“We strongly recommend the application of modern technology to aid effective regulatory compliance and enforcement of laws in the Built Environment, thus enhancing an avalanche of opportunities for industry’s stakeholders and increase the revenue generation profile of the government for socio-economic development as well as the needed discipline and social order in the Built Environment,” Ewa said.

The Institute also inducted 88 Corporate Members as well as bestowed the Honorary Fellowship of the Institute on some distinguished personalities including the governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Out; the minister of sports development, Senator John Owan-Enoh; the Vice Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Prof. Ahmed Abdulazeez and the managing director of the Federal Housing Authority, Senator Olugbenga Ashafa, among others.

Discussing the need to take decisive steps that will restore the dignity of the Nigerian building construction industry, Ewa said, “Nigeria cannot afford to allow the traumatic and avoidable waste of lives, properties and economics resources of her citizenry while she has stockpile of under-utilized specialists with appropriate body of knowledge and experience for the construction of lasting and sustainable buildings for overall good of our nation.”

He expressed optimism that the domestication of the Urban and Regional Planning Act is a realistic solution to hindrances delaying effective use of the National Building Code.

While saying that laws, codes and regulations are not made in vain but were made to address or mitigate certain societal ills and regulate human activities, he expressed concern that the lack of will or haphazard utilisation of these laws, codes and regulations by authorities saddled with the responsibility of enforcing them have plunged the sector and country into the vicious cycle of inappropriate building construction and the concomitant negative outcomes.

He stated: “In our advocacy and awareness campaign, we earnestly hope that when the laws, codes and regulations pertaining to the Built Environment are tenaciously implemented, we shall advocate for inclusion of Builders’ Document in the lists of approved documents for erection of structures in Nigeria, establishment of building regulatory agency in the component parts of the federation, stage by stage certification of building construction and effective utilisation of professional builders in building sustainable shelter.”

Ewa expressed the commitment of the Institute to play its professional role, saying that it shall continue to ventilate the relevance of effective regulatory compliance and enforcement of laws and regulations in the Built Environment as a solution to our problems in this area of our socio-economic life.

According to him, there is crucial need to include professional Builders and other stakeholders in the Built Environment by the Government in the formulation of policies and implementation programmes on matters pertaining to housing production in Nigeria.

‘The NIOB shall solicit for collaborative and participatory involvement in government projects/programmes especially in the areas of sustainable Housing/City Development of both the federal and states governments,’ he said, adding that the institute highly encourages its members and the general public to entrench professionalism and ensure the actualisation of core values of professional competence, expertise, integrity, excellence, professional commitment, transparency, ethical practice, well-informed global best practices, discipline, decency, creativity, probity, mutual respect and bonding.”

Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan-Enoh, who chaired the Investiture ceremony, commended the institute for the progressive role it had played in the infrastructural development of the country, saying that any nation which aspires to sustainable infrastructure must reckon with professional builders.