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’s nearly no regulation enforcement. Establishments, people and even authorities don’t respect the legal guidelines of the land. The legal guidelines are there however enforcement brokers look the opposite approach when the regulation is damaged.
Those that put the regulation there should have learnt from worldwide expertise, however when folks get to public workplace they modify the foundations, and while you try this there isn’t a approach there gained’t be lapses in executing tasks.
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As an example, now we have consultants however their views are usually 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 means of executing a challenge of such magnitude; about 10 flooring, and the unique fore work was not put in place rightly. The architects that have been concerned didn’t give instruction that that specific half must be solid.
Engineers warned that the contract must be revoked. However since they weren’t the those that awarded the contract and weren’t the folks to pay, they have been ignored.
The current lodge that collapsed in Owerri; a panel has been arrange and now we have written to it as a regulatory physique and up until now it has not replied us. However from what now we have recognized, the consultants have their very own fault; by giving directions which aren’t acceptable in our occupation. They have been complaining from what I noticed personally that the consumer was manipulating the drawing. They even informed us.
The apply is obvious. People’ roles are clear and authorities ought to respect this since there’s an edict in states’ bodily planning division which states that approval must be obtained whether or not you’re a authorities or particular person or parastatal earlier than you construct or keep.
For those who go to those locations I’ve talked about, no one has registered drawings. They only come and construct. Even federal housing, they’re presupposed to register them in states.
And in reality, the identify city planning must be modified to bodily planning as a result of individuals are exploiting the identify; 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 fee; planners will come round and say it ought to face right here or there after which everybody has a job to play. It’s when these individuals are given recognition and the method shouldn’t be subverted that we’ll have sanity within the nation and there might be no constructing collapse.
The legal guidelines must be revered, the professionals must be revered, and we must always do issues the way in which they need to be completed.
What have you ever completed 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 have been requested what we have been going to do concerning the issues at ARCON. So once I got here in, the one which was very severe was an examination performed by the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and which it reported to ARCON; being the regulatory physique which takes care of training, enchancment, registration and apply of architects.
When the case was reported we regarded into it and have been in a position to provide you with 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 folks stored quiet and stopped complaining.
We ensured that we remarked their papers and a few handed and out of 300 and one thing, we have been in a position to get 250 all collectively, and that gladdened the hearts of the folks and there have been no dissenting voices once more.
One other one was the problem 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 have been in a position to persuade some to withdraw the instances; just like the Increased 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. All around the world, now we have an government line, with a view to convert into the manager line, we informed them the road to tow and we’re able to conduct examinations for them.
To date, 11 instances have been gained by ARCON; which suggests individuals 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.
I promised three issues: that I’ll re-engineer the workplace and make it digital. We’ve got completed 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. At present, 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.
We’ve got additionally positioned the land that was meant to accommodate our head workplace in Abuja. We’ve got gotten the ratification of the land. We’re shifting in to that place with all vitality to complete the place in lower than 4 months.
Architects have completed nearly 10 designs and we are attempting to merge it right into a smaller model of what they’ve completed. We’ve got raised not lower than N60m; the president sacrificed the allowances for his automotive and members are contributing individually from N5m to N10m. We are going to now attraction to the federal government, since we’re a authorities company, to provide us, assist and help us throughout the course of both by means of money or variety; they’re already doing that. Some individuals are giving us a borehole and you’ll give us home windows or blocks.
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Source: www.dailytrust.com.ng
