The Building industry in Nigeria has seven professional bodies and respective membership institute . The question is are these professional bodies empowered to seal projects due to contraventions, do we have an enforcement Authority like NAFDAC in Construction, Do government’s representative in monitoring Construction activities lack the locus standi to seal sites due to contravention such as DPR in the petroleum Industry?

In Nigeria, we have seven professional bodies statutorily meant for monitoring of construction professionals ‘ annual practice licences in their respective specialties; these are ARCON for Architects, CORBON for Builders, COREN for Engineers(structural/Geotechnical, mechanical and Electrical engineers-as it relates to Building) ,Surveyors Council of Nigeria SURCON;Quantity surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria QSRBN. They are empowered to list and delist all duly registered professionals annually whom the law guarantees them right to practice ; These professional bodies lack the power to mark a project or stop the work but can query the use of quacks in any such projects.

The function of sealing a site for contravention for now is handled by government’s agency such as the development Control of FCDA Abuja. All states are supposed to have a functional agency like Development Control to checkmate stage by stage activities in the built -industry including issuance of stage by stage approval (setting out up to the last floor as designed). It’s important to note that before such approvals are given; there are various tests and confirmation of the annual practice licence validity of the professionals handling the job especially such a magnificent project like the 21storey Ikoyi Building that collapsed on November 1, 2021Therefore, there is failure on the part of government because the menace of Building collapse has been incessantly in Nigeria yet the bill for the establishment of the enforcement authority that would have function like NAFDAC in the enforcement of laws governing construction works in all states of the federation is still dumped in the national assembly after passing second reading (allegedly sabotaged mainly by professional bodies who feel such sanity will limit their relevance and will change the status quo).

They prefer the All-comers approach, the “Who you know ” approach that has left us with regrettable effects. With the signing of the national Building code( NBC 2006) and passing it into law; all construction works will be well monitored, no room for shortcut. The good part of it is that; the compromise of construction cannot be hidden no matter how long, the result must surface; hence when the enforcement law comes into effect, there will be caution by all the officers because they too wouldn’t be spared when something goes wrong.

Most Nigerians are not aware that at the design stage, 5 professionals are required (architects, Structural engineers, Mechanical engineers,Electrical engineers and Quantity surveyors). They produce what we call the working Drawings and recently more detailed Program of works; Health and safety manuals, Quality management plan are addendum to Contract documents especially for magnificent projects. At Construction stage which is the post- design stage; a Registered Builder is required for the physical execution of the project, this however does not meant the professionals in the design stage will not come to site( they are consultants hence they are part of the project until completion).The registered Builder may have in his team other professionals either as staff or partners all for ensuring detailed production of every components of the Building.

By law he (Registered Builder) is the key professional for physical construction or production of the project ( that’s the persons we call CONTRACTORS today which you will agree with me that nowadays most of them didn’t study Building Technology/Engineering nor do they engage the services registered Builder) . There is also the services of land surveyors, Geotechnical engineers even before design is do, so when you add up the key professionals they are seven in total. All these due processes are taken with levity in Nigeria..what you get is the ” one man does all” or coordinate all whether rightly or wrongly and no one questions such as envelopes are sent to the officers in the Building approval offices in most cases.

Until Nigeria pass into law the National Building code (NBC 2006) and set up the enforcement authority just like NAFDAC and the officers do their work diligently; the menace of Building collapse remains unsolved .

Dapia Zumshak, Mniob. R.Bldr.
CEO@Buildright Consult Limited/ Team Lead, SETIKDESIGNS Nigeria Ltd Abuja, Nigeria.

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The Roles of Regulatory Agencies of Government in the Practice of Construction and Avoidance of Collapse in Nigeria – Dapia Zumsha