Heads of built environment regulatory agencies in Nigeria, under the auspices of Forum of Regulatory Bodies of Built Environment in Nigeria (FORBBEN), have resolved to align towards uplifting professionalism and engage the Federal Government on the local content law.
The newly formed body consisting of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON); Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON); Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC); and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN); Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN); Council Of Registered Builders Of Nigeria (CORBON) and Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), met recently in Abuja during which they discussed sundry issues confronting the real sector.
ARCON President, Sir Dipo Ajayi, who leads the group, deplored the lack of local content in projects across the country and urged members to work towards eliminating their differences as well as scale-up professionalism in the sector.
Ajayi also noted that no nation would thrive mainly on the importation of construction materials and services, saying, it was high time they ensured the law on local content was implemented to the letter.
ARCON Registrar, Umar Murnai, urged the regulatory bodies to always make collective pronouncements by constantly, advising governments at all levels, enforcing the content and spirit of the Local Content Act, and guide younger colleagues on the need to always respect other professions.
He said there was a need for all the bodies to be on the Federal Government’s budget line.
QSRBN President, Murtala Aliyu, urged the forum to consider enforcement as a key issue and visit the Minister of State, the Minister and Chief Justice of the Federation, and Inspector General of Police.
Aliyu, who lamented how all layers of government embarked in all kinds of projects with all sorts of conditions, charged his colleagues to increase the effort on regulations of the profession and the sector to prevent total collapse.
The Chairman, CORBON, Prof. Kabir Bala, charged FORBBEN to take charge of the activities of the built environment and ensure respect for one another.
Ahmad Yabagi, who represented COREN President, urged the group to be in control of the local content statute and other laid down rules as well as regulations.
TOPREC President, Isyaku Kura, noted that all professions had been bastardised.
The representative of ESVARBON’s chairman, Adamu Kasimu, called for the enforcement of discipline among members of the regulatory bodies.
He also charged FORBBEN to avoid misunderstanding, noting that all projects in the built environment can accommodate all professionals involved in the sector.
Similarly, Ifeanyi Uzonwanne, Registrar, ESVARBON, and secretary of the forum expressed the need for regulatory bodies to have firm control of registration of its members and the training of potential members.
He confirmed that the National Assembly once summoned all the regulatory bodies to a session and the two bodies that attended were the ones captured in the budget line.
Uzonwanne urged the forum to partner the National Assembly to ensure all regulatory bodies were captured in the budget line and become well-funded by the government.