By Solomon Enejoh, Abuja.
The Nigerian Institute of Architects, NIA, has welcomed a new Chairman and members into its highest decision making organ, the Board of Trustees.
At her extra-ordinary council meeting on Wednesday, the 23rd February, 2022, the council witnessed the swearing-in ceremony and oath taking of the BoT executives whose tenure of office is expected to run until 2026.
Delivering his acceptance and inaugural speech, shortly after taking the oath of office as the BoT chairman, Arc. (Chief) Gabriel Yakubu Aduku, on behalf of the newly sworn-in members praised the President and other members of the institute’s council for a well thought-out procedure through which highly reputable veterans in the architectural profession in Nigeria had emerged to serve in the BoT.
He also used the avenue to pledge the commitment of the new BoT to sustaining the legacies and visions of the past leaders of the institute.
According to him: “As you all know, our profession is such that requires high level of dedication, forthrightness or integrity and excellence and so, the bar of the choice of who serves in any capacity in this Institute is continuously being raised in order to sustain the enduring legacies of our predecessors.
“One recurring attribute that underlies the choice of our leaders in this great Body that I have observed is that of untainted integrity.”
The former Minister of State in the Federal Ministry of Health was quick to point out the enormous task ahead of the BoT, saying that they had come into the saddle at a time when the Institute has to battle with quackery and other unprofessional practices that have cost the nation immeasurable losses of lives and property through collapses of buildings and other structures.
He went further to say that “Without doubt the challenges faced by architects in practice are critical to the success of the firms and individuals Architects and can make the difference between a high performance and mediocre results,” adding that “while the external macro-economic challenges exist within a larger socio-economic framework, a lot can be done in raising the standards of architectural education and practice in Nigeria.
“One way this can be achieved is by providing a more robust training grid containing local context of practice and particularly knowledge of the use of relevant industry software to be offered in the tertiary schools’ curriculum.”
In the area of forging a synergy with the government to actualise statutory framework for standardisation, the new BoT Chairman said: “As a Body, we will continue to encourage the government to prioritize elimination of the incursion of quacks in the building and construction industry through a solid regulatory and implementation framework,” stressing that “the Institute is equally not unmindful of its responsibility to give focused attention to the review of building approval fees and processes. In advanced countries for instance, approval processes are not as cumbersome and rigorous as it still is in Nigeria, starting from land purchase until final delivery.”
Arc. Aduku concluded by saying that the “journey to sustaining and improving on the standards of the acquisition of the knowledge and practice of this noble profession had only just entered another gear for every member of the Board of Trustees inaugurated on the day.”
He further charged them to give their very best and live up to the expectations of both the Institute and the entire members of the public.
