Founder of Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi, has called on the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) to confront construction industry corruption and dearth of artisans to prevent building collapses in Nigeria.
Pat Utomi made the call in Ikeja on Friday at the inaugural annual memorial lecture organised by the Lagos Chapter of NIOB to honour late Pa Fatai Osikoya, its first President who was Nigeria’s first registered builder.
Giving a keynote address tagged “Building collapse as metaphor,’’ Utomi said the issue of housing was too important to be neglected; as such, all hands must be on deck towards bridging the shelter gap.
Utomi blamed building collapse of moral decadence, corruption, regulatory agencies negligence, dearth of skilled artisans, among others, while urging NIOB to tackle the issues to save lives and investments.
Listing efforts of advanced economies towards housing development and delivery which Nigeria must emulate, Utomi urged NIOB always to engage the building regulatory agencies.
According to him, this move will ensure they were rightly enforcing laws to eliminate quacks in the industry to guarantee quality assurance in building production and management.
Not ready to leave any stone unturned, Utomi insisted that the Alhaji Shehu Shagari mass housing model was the best the nation had ever adopted because it tackled affordability and availability issues while capturing all segments of the society.
He admonished NIOB to take charge in correcting anomalies, including the dearth of skilled artisans to tackle Nigeria’s housing deficit and housing needs.
“Our country is sadly the terrain off quackery in many areas of endeavour. Why is this so much more pronounced in the building space?
“This association (NIOB) must do what it takes to reassure Nigerians that buildings can and will be safe. Excuses are not part of the social contract; buck-passing and finger-pointing do not exist within the professional,’’ he said.
To round up his speech, Utomi noted that the endemic culture of corruption affecting the building and other sectors could end if Nigeria can learn from countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, and others who have reversed their disposition to corruption.
During the event, Miss Taiwo and Kehinde Oluyale, twin sisters who graduated with first-class from the department of Building, Federal University of Technology, Akure, were celebrated.
Both parties received cash donations and scholarships in a fund raising event that was led by the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria Prof. Kabir Bala.
Prof. Kabir Bala, while speaking, emphasised the importance of professionalism in taming the ugly trend of building collapse.
President NIOB, Prof. Yohana Izam, represented by Mr Bimbo Kolade a fellow of the NIOB, described late Pa Osikoya who died on June 6, 2021, as an icon whose contributions were immeasurable.
He reeled out achievements of the late icon and several other professional bodies where left indelible marks, adding that the annual lecture series would always bring together policymakers, economists and building experts.
Dr Samson Opaluwah, immediate past Vice-Chairman, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), urged governments at all levels to see mass housing as a must to eradicate poverty in the nation.
President, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria, Mr Akinloye Oyegbola, who was chairman of the occasion, eulogised the virtues of the late Osikoya.
He prayed that the essence of the lectures, which included Osikoya’s times and all he represented, were upheld while calling for expansion of the annual event to become a public lecture.
Prof. Kunle Wahab, who was Osikoya’s closest ally and other speakers took turns to proffer solutions to housing needs while eulogising virtues of the man of many qualities and competencies