By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has assured that the federal government, through the ministry, would into the issue of building collapse which has become rampant in the country in recent times, with a view to formulating policies that would help curtail the ugly trend.
The Minister made this known when he received members of the Nigeria Institute of Architects, NIA, in his office, Tuesday.
He noted that with the collective inputs of the professionals in the built environment and state commissioners of housing, the ministry would come up with policies on how to curtail the menace.
The SUMMIT POST NEWS reports that building collapse has become a common occurrence around the country in recent times, the latest being the collapse of a two-storey building a fortnight ago in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja which left at least two people dead, with several others injured.
Arc. Dangiwa, in a statement signed by the head of Press and Public Relations, Salisu Haiba Badamasi, told the team that his ministry is being positioned to function optimally in the delivery of housing to Nigerians.
“We are positioning the ministry to perform optimally to function as the organ that can provide policy directions to housing sector,” he said, adding that most of the housing policies are under review in order to ensure that they are in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in growing the economy and creating job opportunities for Nigerians to lift them out of poverty.
Speaking earlier, the President of Nigeria Institute of Architects, Arc. Enyi Ben-Eboh, listed areas impeding the practice of architecture in Nigeria which he urged the Minster to look into.
The measures proposed by Arc Ben-Eboh include: regulating the influx of building materials by working with Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, to create a unit that would solely deal on building materials coming into the country; reviewing the National Housing Policy in a way that it would be beneficial to Architects; soliciting for a policy that could be making funding for housing on the ” first line of charge; the Ministry of Housing to come up with policies to regulate the activities of private developers in Nigeria among others.
The NIA President also urged the minister to ensure that Architects are critically involved in the National Development Plan (2021-2025) to help the federal government to achieve the mandate of providing 500, 000 – 1 million houses yearly.
Arc. Eboh further proposed the establishment of the Office of Architect General of the Federation to oversee the members and their operation in Nigeria.