Special Correspondent Dada Jackson collates the views of building professionals on the delay in the passage of the National Building Code bill which has been in the National Assembly for six years.
Experts and stakeholders alike in the built environment who spoke with TheNiche expressed concern over the delay in the passage of the National Building Code (NBC) by the National Assembly (NASS).
Many say the absence of a regulatory document for the construction industry contributes to the frequent collapse of buildings in the country.
Nigerian Institute of Town Planners
Former Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) President, Steve Onu, said the delay in passing the NBC is, to say the least, “worrisome’’.
The draft bill, produced by all the seven professional bodies in the built environment, has gathered dust in the NASS since 2009. It has gone through second reading and was awaiting third reading before it was committed to the committee stage.
Since the second reading, nothing has been done by lawmakers, Onu lamented.
He said all entreaties by members of the built environment to NASS to expedite action have yielded no result, and the absence of the NBC allows for “anything goes’’ in the construction industry.
His words: “The long delay in the passage of the National Building Code has surely and honestly affected the way people engage in the construction process. A lot of people now do building without taking into consideration the details involved in building, thereby endangering the lives of people.
“But with the passage of the NBC, the minutest guidelines would be spelt out for anybody who wants to engage in building anything.”
He appealed to the NASS to, as a matter of national urgency, revisit the NBC considering the spate of building collapses in the country.
Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria
Former Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) President, Segun Ajanlekoko, said the absence of the code is not good for the nation. Its absence he noted, adversely affects the construction sector of the economy.
Ajanlekoko, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), argued that the failure of the NASS to pass the bill into law is “a disservice to the built environment.”
He reiterated that the absence of a building code rubs off negatively on the built environment, and urged lawmakers to put the interest of Nigeria first by passing the bill “for the enhancement of the building industry.”
Nigerian Institute of Building
Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) President, Babatunde Lasabi, said the need for the code to see the light of day is stating the obvious, and the delay is both worrisome and discouraging to construction industry players.
There should be “no grandstanding” about passing the bill, he pitched, stressing that the delay is “embarrassing”.
To him, the NBC should be put in the front burner by NASS members because any nation that desires moving the construction industry forward should treat it with the attention it deserves.
Lasabi expressed regret that people are still talking of the code as a subject of debate in the NASS when lawmakers know that it concerns a sensitive sector.
He said the passage of the bill is long overdue, adding that the delay is akin to “a disservice to the nation” because “for any serious nation that aspires to greatness, such a sensitive bill should have been passed into law before now.”
He urged the seven professional bodies in the built environment to forge a common front to ensure the bill is passed without further delay.
Nigerian Institute of Surveyors
Former Nigerian Institute of Surveyors (NIS) President, Olushola Atillola, said the issue has been polarised due to the various interests that have sprung up in the debate.
According to him, the relevance of the code cannot be quantified, so much that the lawmakers should not toy with its passage.
He urged all hands to be on deck to ensure the bill is brought to the centre stage by the NASS to speed up its passage “for the glory of the construction industry.”
He wondered why the bill continues to suffer a setback in the NASS, adding that all professional bodies in the built environment should team up and fight the cause.
In his view, the NBC will help reduce the incidence of building collapse and legislators should consider the plight of Nigerians by bringing it to the fore.
Atillola said in advanced countries, the construction industry has a standard regulatory instrument which guides operators and the NASS should enact laws that impact positively on the lives of the people.
He expressed optimism that the new NASS will revisit the matter in order to end the debate over the passage of the code.
He suggested a meeting of all stakeholders in the built environment to find out the reason for the delay.
Engineer
Emmanuel Imafidon, an engineer, said the need to expedite action on the bill cannot be over emphasised, pointing out that in developed countries such an important bill would have been given top priority.
Passage of the “all-important document” would restore sanity to the construction industry, he stressed.
The absence of the NBC could be a major factor in the incessant collapse of buildings across the country, he added, saying a lot of damage will continue to be done to the building industry unless the bill is passed.
Maintenance expert
A facility maintenance expert, Afolabi Adedeji, said it is “shameful” and disheartening that the draft bill is still languishing in the NASS.
He added that the delay is doing harm to the construction industry and urged the leadership of the seven professional bodies in the built environment to meet with the NASS leadership to find a way out of the quagmire.
Adedeji, a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), reiterated that building collapse is assuming a frightening dimension and the earlier it is addressed the better for the country.
He said the bill, when passed into law, would help check the excesses of those who engage in sharp practices in building.
He warned that buildings would continue to collapse if the right things are not done to stem the tide – and, in his view, the right thing to do is to pass the bill.
Adedeji suggested a workshop where all professionals and stakeholders in the construction industry can find a lasting solution to the delay, which may be connected with the “ignorance” of some lawmakers about the importance of such a document to the construction industry.
In developed climes, he noted, such a sensitive and crucial document would not have stayed in the legislature for more than one month.
Said he: “I am so surprised that such a vital and sensitive document that could enhance operations in the construction sub-sector of the economy is still lingering at the NASS.
“The absence of a National Building Code in the psyche of the nation has allowed for so many untoward things to happen in the construction industry such as the rampant building collapses witnessed all over the country.”
Adedeji appealed to the lawmakers to put the interest of the nation first and pass the bill as quickly as possible, so as to prevent building collapse in the future.
It is a huge national embarrassment when buildings continue to collapse like a pack of cards, he said.