The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Tuesday solicited the help of the country’s Architects in the Federal Government’s bid to order the developmental path of the nation, saying the Architects are vital to the infrastructure development of the country.
Fashola who spoke when a delegation of the Architect Registration Council of Nigeria, ARCON, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja, told the delegation, “You have a very very big role to play in helping to order the developmental path of Nigeria,” adding that the government’s commitment to infrastructure development would be difficult if not impossible to achieve without the important contributions of the architects.
The Minister said, in response to the Council’s plea for inauguration, that the only impediment to the constitution of the Council was the court cases by members of the profession, pointing out that the delay in the constitution of the Council was not the fault of his Ministry.
“The President has approved many months ago that the Council be inaugurated but members are petitioning, cross- petitioning, litigating, cross- litigating. So we are waiting until when all these cases are resolved, the Minister said.
He added that “when the cases are resolved, we will constitute the Council because we can’t be aware that there is a case in court and then take an action that can undermine the Council.”
Regarding the financial request made by the President of the Council in respect to rehabilitation and funding of Architects Registration Council offices in Lagos and Abuja, the Minister who was elated at the progress made so far by the Council advised them to submit a proposal that could be valued, specifying areas they need help and funding.
On the school in Kuje, Fashola suggested that the best way to approach the issue was to submit a valued proposition, adding “We are undertaking some basic repairs here and there in the school from what I see in the records; you need to be able to tell us what you want to do differently.”
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and ARCON President, Arc. Dipo Ajayi, informed the Minister that they were in the Ministry among other things to invite him for the forthcoming 2022 Architect Colloquium scheduled to hold in May, 2022.
Soliciting for collaboration of the Ministry in the upliftment of the Ministry’s Training Centre in Kuje, Arc. Ajayi, informed the Minister that the Council had submitted a proposal on the need to collaborate with the Ministry in the use of the Kuje Training Centre to train artisans who are to service the built environment. .
“A situation where the country relies heavily on artisans from neighbouring countries because of the dearth of qualified personnel needs to be addressed,” the ARCON boss said, adding that the Council considered it expedient to put the centre to use for the training of the required manpower to raise the standards of architectural technicians in Nigeria and as a way to stimulate growth of the economy in the retention of funds expended in this sector in Nigeria.”
The ARCON President also informed the Minister on the outcome of the reconciliation meeting between the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) and the Association of Nigerian Chartered Architects (ANCA), saying the bodies arrived at:
i. The harmonisation of a single Professional Competency Evaluation Programme as a path way to licensure which was agreed upon by both Councils of ARCON and NIA to replace the Professional Practice Examinations. This was done because of the appeal from the NIA to step into the issue when it was obvious that they had challenges,
ii. Memorandum of understanding between ARCON and holders of the Higher National Diploma Certificate in the Architectural family.
Appealing to the Minister to inaugurate the Council, Ajayi said it would enable the Council to have a potpourri of ideas to tackle the daunting mandate of a regulator of the profession of Architecture in Nigeria.
There have been lingering differences among ARCON, NIA and ANCA which are the regulatory bodies overseeing the architectural family. These irreconcilable differences have led to the delay in constituting the council, though President Buhari has since given the approval for the inauguration.
