PROPERTY ARTICLES

For the avoidance of doubts, the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) is a body whose key objectives include the "promotion of the science, technology, management and practice of the building profession in all its aspects and ramifications" it further seeks to "establish and maintain a high standard of competence and conduct of those engaged or about to be engaged in the building profession". We further "create and sustain public awareness on the role of the builders and the building profession" as well as "Act as a body which the government and organisation(s) could seek advice, assistance or the expression of views on any subject(s) of concern or interest to the building profession in Nigeria."

In fulfilling these objectives, the NIOB trains would-be builders who are subsequently examined and where found suitable, are registered (professionals) with the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) a body established by Act CAP B.13 LFN 2004, formerly Decree 45 of 1989 .CORBON, for clarity is established to among others, discharge the duty of: Determining who are builders in accordance with the Act; Determining what standards of knowledge and skill are to be attained by persons seeking to become registered as builders and reviewing those standards, from time to time, as circumstances may permit; and Regulating and controlling the practice of the building technology profession in all its aspects and ramifications.

The NIOB, together with CORBON, undertake the further training and continuous professional development of registered builders to ensure that they remain competent, responsive and relevant professionals in this technological world with respect to the Profession of Building.

The foregoing preamble seeks to introduce to you very clearly who the Builders are and what we do as professionals of the profession off building, our chosen profession.

The profession of building finds expression in the building construction industry that is responsible for the built (human) environment, where the builder is one of the seven key professionals that constitute the team. The others are architects, engineers (civil, highways, geo-technical, structural and services).The roles of these professionals in the development of the built (human) environment are incontrovertible, just as the need for the services of any of them is not negotiable. Prof. Akin Akindoyeni, the Chairman of CORBON, aptly captured these when he defined their roles as: Identification and description of land and development - Land Surveyors; design of integrated human settlement and layout - Town Planners; the conceptual arrangement of spaces and forms and the choice of materials and components with an eye to beauty and function - Architects; design of road network and communication networks - Highway Engineers; site works (construction) - Civil Engineers; the stability assurance device (design) - Geo-Technical/Structural Engineers; the provision of artificial light and energy - Services Engineers; provision of hydraulic services (water, drainage, gas) - Services Engineers; the computation of material and labour input - Quantity Surveyors; the computation of relevant costs - Quantity Surveyors; the methodology of assembly of materials and labour - Builders; the management of the assembly process (quality) - Builders; the health and safety of the assembly process - Builders; the maintenance of the finished product in use - Builders/Facility Manager; the demolition of obsolete products (deconstruction) - Builders; and, valuation, management, sale and/or retail of development Product - Estate Surveyor.

There are other professions/stakeholders that are involved. They include solicitors, building material manufacturers (supplies), materials research and development scientists, etc. Then we have those with allied skills required for the production process - the artisans and craftsmen. They are invaluable to the process. We also have inputs from the Transportation and Communications Industries for material delivery and needed communications.. Finally, we have the most important group of stakeholders, who unfortunately are least considered. They are the end users and clients. The above constitute what we call the professional spectrum of the building construction industry that are responsible for the built environment for its production and sustenance.

From the foregoing, it does not need any further explanation or convincing as to who is in the centre of this important industry. Obviously, it is the professional (registered) builder. This stand is supported by the provisions of the National Building Code, 2006, which provided in section 13.12 (1-4) - Workmanship and Supervision.

All building works shall be executed, installed and completed in a skillful and acceptable manner so as to secure the results intended by this code.

All building works shall be generally supervised by a registered architect and engineer in line with their inputs

Any contractor who is engaged to carry out construction work in accordance with this code shall satisfy the professional registration laws of the country.

The management of the execution of the building works including the supervision of artisans and craftsmen shall ba carried out by a registered builder.

Building works is defined according to the NBC, 2006 at section 2.26 as: "the erection, construction, alteration, extension, repair, demolition and removal of a building or structure and shall include work in connection with material change of use and /or improvement of a building."

Furthermore, the NBC, 2006 at Section 2.32 provided that Contract Documents for building works shall mean and include the following: contract drawings and specifications prepared by registered architects and registered engineers; [riced Bills of Quantities prepared by a registered quantity surveyor; construction programme, Project Quality Management Plan, Project Health and Safety Plan prepared by a registered builder; Conditions of Contract; and, All-risk insurance for the building works, personnel and equipment.

These constitute the inputs from the various professionals enumerated above.

For the avoidance of doubt, the National Building Code 2006, is the product of all the seven professionals of the building industry and their respective Regulatory Bodies - Architecture, Building, Engineering, Estate Surveying and Valuation, Quantity-Surveying, Surveying (Land) and Urban and Regional Planning as well as Resource persons and all other stakeholders in the Building Industry. The process of its production started in1987 and only got the approval of the Federal Executive Council for use in the country in 2006, under the Obasanjo Administration.

We have gone this far to bring to the fore the essence of this press conference. It is to be stressed here that the NIOB/CORBON were in the fore front of the efforts to produce the NBC, 2006, primarily to encourage its approval as a National Standards Document for the practice of the profession of building and to strengthen professionalism in the industry for all the professions involved with emphasis on the product of the industry - buildings. However, we observe with grave concern that nearly four years after its approval and acceptance for practice, events in the industry have left us worse off. This is the basis for our concern and we think it fit that as responsible professionals, we owe it a duty/responsibility to our profession, clients, the nation and ourselves to bring this to the public’s attention and particularly to government for a redress.

It is no news that the building industry is far from cohesion, professional integration and best practices because it is very fragmented and appears to promote with some vigor, the separation principle of practice. The recent media advertorials from CORBON more than anything has said so. Thus, our concern here is on the status of the building industry as it is today.

Secondly, the unabated incessant collapses of buildings have continued to embarrass the industry. Not only has it left the property owners disillusioned, it appears that there is no solution in sight as not one person has so far been found guilty of any professional misdeed, talk less of being punished for it. This is a situation of professional rascality, to say the least.

Thirdly, the issue of professionalism, value for the investment of the clients and sustainability of the environment has only been accorded lips-service. This, more than any other concern has left the industry devoid of technological developments, aggravated by the marked absence of research and development and innovations. This has degenerated into professional politics rather than professional practice based on team work, excellence, etc, thriving on best practices.

Fourthly, the huge housing deficit for Nigerians said to be between 16 and 18 million units required coupled with the absence of a maintenance culture poses a serious issue of concern. There are lessons to learn from the situation of Haiti.

Fifthly, we are faced with massive infrastructural failure that has further rendered our built environment unsustainable. This can be seen from the states of our roads, sanitation, drainages, energy, transportation and communication.

Lastly, there is the concern over the high cost of building, making housing delivery a mirage for the greater population of the citizen, particularly the low and medium income earners.

The effects of these concerns should worry any professional of the built environment and call for action.

We acknowledge the fact that our country is undergoing reforms. The world over, reforms that have been beneficial to the society carrying them out are done along professional lines. We have however observed that the reforms taking place and particularly those that affected the building industry and subsequently, the built environment tend to have given a ranking to some professionals as being superiors to others. This singular action has worsened the already poor cohesion (team spirit/work) of the professionals of the industry who have been operating on a Separation Principle. The production/development of a sustainable shelter/environment is a collective bargain. No one single profession/professional can handle it alone. It is in view of the above that the NIOB finds it very unfortunate, to say the least, that COREN in their adverts, in a bid to promote their profession and roles went to the extent of despising other colleagues. We find this totally unacceptable. We see this as a deliberate action to mislead the public and selfish, and most of all, professionally untenable. While we do not believe in media warfare, we also believe that keeping silent over a misinformation as serious as this will amount to great dis-service to our profession, clients, the nation and our members. Indeed, it places all other colleagues, who we are not holding brief for, at a great disadvantage to play their roles as the laws of the land and the codes of practice provide.

It is our firm belief that the records ought to be corrected and the unsuspecting public properly guided that we have provided the above information. Furthermore, in order to promote and strengthen professionalism and standards of practice, we believe that the situation is in giving this country a functional building construction industry with a burning commitment to raise quality and efficiency where:

Our focus is on the customer - giving them what they need, when they need it and at a price that reflects the products’ value to the customer. This will provide value addition from the customers’ point of view, rather than ‘ego’ and selfishness targeting the next employer in the contractual chain. We must focus on Systematic Research on what the end user actually wants, raising their aspirations and educating them to become more discerning; auditing clients’ satisfaction like the car manufacturers are doing.

As professional colleagues, we must integrate the process and work as a team around the product " Building rather than fragment our operations. We must be working back from customers’ needs, focusing on the product and delivering value to the customer and therefore to the Built Environment.

Construction worldwide is no longer based on a series of sequential and largely separate operations undertaken by individual designers, constructors and suppliers who have no long term stake in the long term success of the products nor commitment to it. It is fast adapting a systems approach to delivery. There is the need therefore to change this culture so that the industry can increase efficiency and quality in construction and subsequently the product, building, that can be safe, durable, comfortable and sustainable.

c) Commitment to the quality of the product is driven by a desire to deliver zero defects building at first time, on time and to budget, supported by innovations for the benefit of the client, knocking out waste in design, materials and construction onsite, providing the after-sales care (maintenance) and reduced cost of production and in use and even when the product comes to its life’s end, it is not subjected to uncoordinated destruction/demolition, but professionally handled in what is called deconstruction. Professionals must therefore seek to exceed customer expectations and provide real service and not self seeking antics that mislead the unsuspecting general public.

Commitment to the working people - to provide decent site conditions of work, fair wages and care for the health and safety of the work force. This is done through training and development of committed and capable managers/supervisors, respect for all participants/stakeholders in the process, involving everyone in a sustained system of improvement and learning, and a No-Blame culture based on mutual interdependence and trust.

What the industry requires therefore is a Building Construction industry that truly focuses on the production process, the product, its customers and the environment and when this is achieved, all the other benefits being sought for shall be added to the professionals. This must be based on product development, project implementation, partnering the supply chain, and production of components done as an integrated project process with professional "team of designers, constructors and suppliers work together through a series of projects, continuously developing the product and the supply chain, eliminating waste in the delivery process, innovating and learning from experience."

The above can be realized when the following steps are taken boldly, without fear or favour in the interest of the profession, the society (nation) and the built (human) environment.

Government should enforce the provisions of the National Building Code as enshrined in Section 3. Already, the Code Enforcement Advisory Committee has been constituted, inaugurated, but prevented from taking off by the politics of the "favoured" in government. This singular action has scandalized the industry as it overtly or covertly promoted quackery; what the code sought to eliminate. For instance, building are produced without the due process of professionalism such as the Builders Contract Documents which promote quality of the product, health and safety of the process and even cost/time overruns from an adequate construction programme and methodology. Subsequently, the management is denied its potency to ensure that the compliance forms as enshrined in Section 15 that will pin any unprofessional action to the defaulting professional is enforced/effective. Thus, no one signs/claims responsibility for any work done, no building is certified as fit for habitation and there after, other checks for best practices are circumvented such as the subsequent production of Building Condition Surveys, As-Built Drawings, and Maintenance Manuals needed for maintenance.

We cannot over-emphasise the need for the Code to be enforced. It is the surest way to promote professionalism and the Industry along the lines of best practices. This will reduce building collapse.

The National Assembly needs to enact the Building Act to give bite to the Code. This matter has been before them for some time now. We need this.

States and Local governments are required to enact their respective Planning Laws for the promotion/strengthening of professionalism and the industry for a sustainable built environment...

Governments, developers, communities and organizations must give support to Research and Developments. Tertiary institutions must be in the vanguard for these so that the industry can develop its own technology, standards and practice alongside global trends.

The training and development of our artisans and craftsmen based on our developed or adapted building technology is not negotiable if the Vision 20-2020 and the Seven-Point Agenda is to be realized. Presently, foreigners dominate this group.

For standards development, we strongly challenge the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Education Trust Fund (ETF) to fund the establishment and development of Material Testing Laboratories in Tertiary Institutions and the NIOB/CORBON. This will provide avenues for material testing that are independent and professional, as well as training facilities for the students, teachers and trainers of would-be builders and builders.

For the training and development of artisans and craftsmen, government should establish Vocational and Technical Training Centres, revisit the polytechnic and encourage them to go back to their original mandate of producing technically proficient graduates trained with the requisite skills rather than the present craze for degree qualifications. Indeed, the 6-3-3-4 system of education should be sustained and strengthened. It could be subjected to the "Experiential Learning Model" based on the World Cooperative Education System of Learning. The South African government is already experimenting with it.

The building construction industry needs to be structured along the lines of global best practices. To this end, we totally agree with the suggestion made by Prof. Stephen Ogunlana, the Chair of Construction Project Management, School of Built Environment, Herriot-Watt University Edinburgh, Scotland, in calling for the establishment by government of a Construction Industry Development Board, CIDB. The NIOB is willing to lead in this crusade alongside other profession bodies to partner in this development so as to enthrone an ideal building construction industry in Nigeria. This is the only way to strengthen professionalism in practice and ensure a sustainable built environment.

We have taken you thus far to seek your cooperation to enlighten the general public on what is going on in the building industry, the roles of the professional builders in the process of the production and sustainability of the built (human) environment and particularly, the production and management of buildings. We have been trained for this, and are able and willing to deliver.

We therefore encourage all who have or desire to have buildings built, maintained or even at the state of deconstruction to engage the professional builder for consultation and construction as appropriate. It is the only wise thing to do. .

Jambol is President, Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB).