Lagos — Sir Oladipo Ajayi is the President of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON). On this interview, he speaks about his stewardship on the council and the failure of authorities to examine quacks within the business.
What are the distant and rapid causes of constructing collapse?
In Nigeria we lack respect for regulation and regulation enforcement. So disrespect to legal guidelines of the land is vital to constructing collapse, after which there may be nearly no regulation enforcement. Establishments, people and even authorities do not respect the legal guidelines of the land. The legal guidelines are there however enforcement brokers look the opposite means when the regulation is damaged.
Those that put the regulation there will need to have learnt from worldwide expertise, however when individuals get to public workplace they alter the principles, and if you try this there isn’t a means there will not be lapses in executing tasks.
As an illustration, we have now consultants however their views usually are not revered. Any person who’s in administration takes over and begins giving directions and finally these lapses will come out and generate to the extent of constructing collapse.
The constructing collapse in Benue; we recognized that the contractor was at fault as a result of he was not certified; not by way of certificates, however by way of technique of executing a undertaking of such magnitude; about 10 flooring, and the unique fore work was not put in place rightly. The architects that had been concerned didn’t give instruction that that exact half ought to be forged.
Engineers warned that the contract ought to be revoked. However since they weren’t the those who awarded the contract and weren’t the individuals to pay, they had been ignored.
The latest resort that collapsed in Owerri; a panel has been arrange and we have now written to it as a regulatory physique and up until now it has not replied us. However from what we have now recognized, the consultants have their very own fault; by giving directions which aren’t acceptable in our occupation. They had been complaining from what I noticed personally that the shopper was manipulating the drawing. They even advised us.
The observe is obvious. People’ roles are clear and authorities ought to respect this since there may be an edict in states’ bodily planning division which states that approval ought to be obtained whether or not you’re a authorities or particular person or parastatal earlier than you construct or keep.
In the event you go to those locations I’ve talked about, no one has registered drawings. They simply come and construct. Even federal housing, they’re imagined to register them in states.
And in reality, the title city planning ought to be modified to bodily planning as a result of persons are exploiting the title; it’s only a nomenclature.
The planning course of begins with the architect who provides delivery to the drawing and interprets it, provides the job to the engineers to do justice, the amount surveyor will calculate the price; planners will come round and say it ought to face right here or there after which everybody has a task to play. It’s when these persons are given recognition and the method just isn’t subverted that we are going to have sanity within the nation and there will likely be no constructing collapse.
The legal guidelines ought to be revered, the professionals ought to be revered, and we must always do issues the way in which they need to be executed.
What have you ever executed to resolve the myriad of court docket instances and infighting in ARCON since assuming workplace?
I used to be elected into workplace on June 12, 2018. Three of us contested within the election. We had been requested what we had been going to do in regards to the issues at ARCON. So once I got here in, the one which was very severe was an examination carried out by the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and which it reported to ARCON; being the regulatory physique which takes care of schooling, enchancment, registration and observe of architects.
When the case was reported we appeared into it and had been in a position to give you a verdict. ARCON got here up with verification and our place which we posted on our web site so that everybody within the states may entry and other people stored quiet and stopped complaining.
We ensured that we remarked their papers and a few handed and out of 300 and one thing, we had been in a position to get 250 all collectively, and that gladdened the hearts of the individuals and there have been no dissenting voices once more.
One other one was the difficulty of progress? So, we compiled the examination and determined to have harmonisation with the previous president and the incoming one. So since that point there was harmonisation to conduct programmes for architects after finding out for seven years.
So, having resolved these, we had so many instances within the courts and we had been in a position to persuade some to withdraw the instances; just like the Greater Nationwide Diploma (HND) holders who went to court docket. I appealed to them that they need to withdraw the case and chart a line related to them all around the world. Everywhere in the world, we have now an govt line, so as to convert into the manager line, we advised them the road to tow and we’re able to conduct examinations for them.
To this point, 11 instances have been received by ARCON; which implies persons are simply making noise, and people who are behind have stored quiet.
And the elders who’re towards the council right here and there; we’re speaking to them to make sure that it’s structure we must always talk about and never private points.
What different issues have you ever achieved?
Let me begin by thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for deeming it match to represent our council in varied states of the federation and in federal and state tertiary establishments. We’re asking for extra; not simply to recognise us, however to know that we’re the engine of property on this planet.
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I promised three issues: that I’ll re-engineer the workplace and make it digital. Now we have executed 80 per cent of that. The background is being established for take-off of the digitalisation in ARCON.
I additionally promised to safe an workplace, as a result of we hadn’t any since ARCON was birthed in 1966. Immediately, I can boldly say that with the assistance of the Minister of Housing and Works, our Lagos workplace has been awarded and work will quickly begin.
Now we have additionally situated the land that was meant to accommodate our head workplace in Abuja. Now we have gotten the ratification of the land. We’re transferring in to that place with all vitality to complete the place in lower than 4 months.
Architects have executed virtually 10 designs and we are attempting to merge it right into a smaller model of what they’ve executed. Now we have raised not lower than N60m; the president sacrificed the allowances for his automotive and members are contributing individually from N5m to N10m. We’ll now enchantment to the federal government, since we’re a authorities company, to offer us, assist and help us in the course of the course of both by money or type; they’re already doing that. Some persons are giving us a borehole and you may give us home windows or blocks.
Supply: allafrica.com
