Professionals in the built environment believe the sector would have been better if it had any of them at the helm, writes Asst. Editor OKWY IROEGBUCHIKEZIE.
The housing and construction sector has a myriad of problems. Though the issue didn’t start today, it became tougher when the government refused to prioritise housing.
For example, professionals are lamenting that after almost two decades after the National Building Code (NBC) was introduced after it was worked on by their representatives to move the nation forward as far as rules of engagement, home ownership, mortgage, quality of materials, standardisation, penalties for offenders were concerned, the document has been tampered with.
Now there are several codes, though some professionals still claim to be in possession of the original document. But, the Bill sent to the National Assembly is yet to be passed.
There are several variants of the code. But this would not have been so, if their colleagues were to be in the saddle.
The National Building Code laid down the minimum provisions buildings needed to ensure public safety on structural sufficiency, fire hazard and health aspects. It contains administrative provisions, development control rules and building requirements. It also serves as a mode code (MC) for the adoption by anybody involved in construction in the public or private domain.
Earlier, while assessing the sector, Fellow of the Institute of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIESV), Asiwaju Kola Akomolede, lamented that the government had not been fair to the sector. He frowned that the Ministry of Housing and Works that is expected to be a stand alone as a result of its growth potential, which used for measuring the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of developed economies, is relegated to the background in the country.
Akomolede, also a member of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), also lamented that housing has never been given its due because professionals are not manning the ministry. “After appointing a non-professional outside the built environment, they will appoint a professional as a Director in the ministry, how much influence will a Director have in decision making in a ministry?” he asked.
He advised that successive governments should be measured by the number of houses they built, the number of home-owners and those who moved up, from say a room apartment to two-bedrooms. He stressed that unless the sector is given its due relevance by the government, economic growth would be lagging.
Also a builder, Okechukwu Nnadi, said the Housing and Works Ministry is probably the only ministry where people who have little or no knowledge of the sector are appointed to head it. He asked if a lawyer could be made the minister for Health or Finance. If not, why do so in Works and Housing? he asked, adding that the economy and populace are paying for it. He canvassed the need for the incoming administration to do the right thing and give professionals the opportunity to run the ministry.
Chairman, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Dr. Samson Opaluwah, regretted that housing has not been given the primacy that it deserves, because over the years, the policies that governments routinely rolled out were not in touch with the needs of the average Nigerian. Worse still, they are poorly implemented.
He said: “Provision of appropriate housing with the right professionals should be a constitutional matter and the experts should be in place to deliver the right policies to the latter.
“Nigeria has the resources and expertise to ensure that every citizen access appropriate housing for their status. An imaginative and deft arrangement can be put in place for vulnerable groups by providing social housing for them. I call upon the candidates canvassing votes in the forthcoming elections to place housing on the front burner of their agenda.
“The National Policy on Housing should be such that it will target specific segments of the society with products targeted at their needs. A cursory look at housing provision in our urban centres indicates a neglect of two important segments of our population, those starting out life after graduating from tertiary institutions and the artisanal tradesmen because the right professionals are not those.
“A national policy, keyed on the utilisation of professionals, as agents of implementation with a nationwide reach, will go a long way to address the challenge of housing. Governments at all levels should also take housing for the vulnerable segment of our society as a social responsibility. Embarking on urban renewal of our city slums will dramatically improve the quality of life.
He continued: “Finally, the housing finance sector must be compelled to promote the provision of housing and not profits as their indices of success. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other regulatory agencies must see housing not only in terms of the cash disbursed but in terms of the actual buildings produced and occupied.
“Those starting out cannot afford the huge rents for spaces they do not need and the artisanal groups are the major occupants of our cities, unplanned, unregulated urban slums. The challenge posed by the neglect of housing provision for those in the lower strata is clear for all to see and everything should be done to bridge the gap.
“After many years, the National Building Code (NBC) has not been domesticated by many states. The NBC is a document produced by the professionals in the built environment as the standard of practice to be adopted in Nigeria.This was embarked upon and approved by the Federal Government. It contains guidelines and standards for the efficient and effective construction and management of buildings.
“Housing is a concurrent issue.Therefore, states have to domesticate the code and enact enabling laws to enforce it in the states. Some states have done so and a number are at various stages of domesticating the code.The reason for the slow rate of action by some states may be due to ignorance or low level of advocacy by those who should push for it. Our governments are yet to appreciate the multiplier effect of construction activities on the economy of the country.
“The key word here is to allow professionals to take charge of the Housing and Works ministry, if this is done the difference will be clear.
“The construction industry is the largest employer. And when manufacturing picks up, production of building materials will also be the largest economic bloc and many people will graduate as it were from one level of house type to the other this is also a way of knowing if the nation’s economy is growing or not.
“As a body, we clamour for the operation of the NBC to aid us to regulate the practices on the building construction sites and place specific responsibilities on every practitioner on the site.It is meant to professionalise the building process.”
The NBC has, in its provisions guidelines for periodic reviews. These reviews will take care of advances in technology, methodology and production techniques. It would also address the emergence of new expertise in the industry.
The professionals in the built environment are, however, seeking the enactment of an Act of the National Assembly to give legal backing to the implementation of the NBC. When that is done, it will become an offence to build contrary to the NBC. Until the law is passed, the NBC remains a convention and a document stating good and acceptable practice but without the force of law.
