By ANGELA ATABO

The Nigerian Institution of Building (NIOB) has declared that there is no hiding place for quacks in Nigeria’s building industry, warning that their activities pose serious threats to the safety and quality of buildings across the country.

President of NIOB, Mr Daniel Kolade, made the declaration on Saturday at the closing ceremony of the 56th annual conference of the institution in Abuja.

The theme of the conference was “Repositioning the Building Profession, Advocacy and Policy Influence in Housing Delivery for a Sustainable Built Environment.”

Kolade said the conference provided an opportunity for builders from across Nigeria to deliberate on ways of repositioning the building profession and improving housing delivery.

According to him, the conference examines major challenges confronting housing delivery and explores the role of advocacy and policy influence in achieving a sustainable built environment.

Kolade said eliminating quackery in the building industry required collective efforts from government, professionals and members of the public.

He called on the Federal Government to provide full legal backing for the National Building Code to ensure effective enforcement and address the recurring incidents of building collapse.

He noted that although some states had adopted the National Building Code, stronger federal enforcement was necessary to give the code the required legal force and ensure compliance.

Kolade expressed concern that despite the persistent occurrence of building collapses across the country, government interventions had often focused on taking over affected lands rather than addressing the root causes of the problem.

He questioned whether taking over lands after building collapses had actually stopped the recurrence of such incidents, stressing the need for preventive measures and strict enforcement of building standards.

The NIOB president urged professionals in the built environment to perform their duties diligently and avoid allowing unqualified persons to undertake responsibilities reserved for trained and certified professionals.

He described as a quack any person who claimed to have the capacity to handle every aspect of building development, including preparing architectural drawings, constructing buildings and maintaining them.

Kolade urged Nigerians to be vigilant whenever individuals presented themselves as capable of handling all aspects of a building project without involving the appropriate professionals.

He advised members of the public not to compromise safety and quality in an attempt to reduce construction costs, stressing that choosing unqualified persons could have devastating consequences.

He urged Nigerians to engage qualified builders, architects, engineers and other relevant professionals in the built environment to guarantee quality, safety and compliance with approved standards.

According to him, professional involvement at every stage of construction will help reduce the risks associated with poor workmanship, defective designs and non-compliance with building regulations.

Kolade said the institution was ready to support the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Initiative, particularly the Renewed Hope Housing projects being implemented across the country.

He, however, called for policies that would further strengthen the participation of qualified professionals in government housing programmes to ensure that projects met the required standards.

The NIOB president said the institution welcomed the position presented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, who chaired the opening ceremony of the conference.

He said the NIOB was prepared to collaborate with the government and other stakeholders to improve the building industry and promote sustainable housing delivery.

Kolade reiterated that quackery would no longer be allowed to operate unchecked within the building sector, stressing that professionals were prepared to identify and challenge unqualified practitioners.

“My message for them is that they should just know that their time is over. There is no more hiding place for those quacks within the industry,” he said.

He added that professionals would intensify efforts to ensure that quacks were exposed and prevented from compromising standards in the building industry.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Jos North Local Government, Plateau, Mr John Christopher, stressed the need for strict adherence to approved building specifications and standards.

Christopher said quality housing was essential to human life and urged young professionals to embrace innovation while ensuring that safety and quality remained their top priorities.

He said the rising cases of building collapse made it necessary for stakeholders to strengthen efforts toward compliance with approved building designs and specifications.

The LG chairman urged the Federal Government to prioritise housing development and affordable shelter, noting that housing remained one of the basic needs of Nigerians. (NAN)