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Architecture no
longer attractive,
says Ben-Eboh
The Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of
Architects (NIA), Lagos State chapter, Mr. Enyi Ben-Eboh, an architect, is from
Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. A pioneer student of the
Command Secondary School, Kaduna from 1977-1982, he attended Calabar
Polytechnic, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Architecture
in 1987. Thereafter, he took the professional examinations of the NIA and
passed out with a distinction in architecture. He was the best graduating
student of the institute in professional practice in 1993. Ben-Eboh is
currently the head of projects in one of the new generation banks. In this
interview with Senior Property and Environment Correspondent, Dada Jackson, he spoke on the recurring issue
of quackery in the profession and the incidence of collapsed buildings, among
others. Excerpts.
What
would you say has been responsible for the incessant collapse of buildings in
the country and what is the way forward?
One of the major factors
for this phenomenon, looking at it from the perspective of a professional, is
the absence of requisite structural designs and even where they exist, they are
not fully implemented or adhered to. You know that once a building has a
structural defect, the tendency for such an edifice to collapse is very high.
Another factor is lack of supervision. By this, I mean that the monitoring of
buildings under construction is very inadequate because of the understaffing at
the physical planning authority. The planning authorities scattered all over
the country, apart from not being enough, also lack the required staff
strength. One other major factor responsible for the ugly phenomenon is the
greed on the part of the private developers, who are usually out to maximise
profit without taking into consideration the import of their action, as it will
affect the generality of the public. Other related factor is the use of
sub-standard building materials all in a bid to cut corners.
As to the way forward,
it is very important and mandatory that the services of professionals in the
built environment must be of paramount importance in the mind any private
developer when he or she wants to commence the construction of a building. By
this, I mean that the professional in the built environment should be
responsible for the supervision of the construction itself. The planning
authorities should also ensure that they monitor the plans, which they give
approval for so that the developer does not go ahead to construct something
different from the original plan. The planning authorities should put in place a
mechanism that would monitor strict compliance of the original approved plan.
Take for instance, a developer that was given approval for a bungalow, who
suddenly develops brainwave and before you say Jack Robinson, he goes ahead to
construct a two-storey building. The Federal Government should further empower
the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in order to make it perform its
statutory role of monitoring the type of building materials that are imported
into the country. Finally, there should be in place, a training programme for
our artisans because most of them lack the basic training to properly execute
most of the jobs they undertake.
How is your chapter
coping with high incidence of quackery in your profession, considering that
Lagos state has the highest concentration of architects in the country?
Let me first of all
admit the fact that you are quite right about your observation that there is a
high incidence of quackery in the profession. Having said that, I must tell you
without mincing words that the institute has put in place a mechanism that
would make the incidence of quackery a thing of the past. The state chapter is
trying to fight this monster through a number of channels. Perhaps it may
interest you to know that the state chapter has made it mandatory that every
drawing that goes for approval must have the institute’s seal on it.
However, let me quickly point out here that some unscrupulous people were
forging the institute’s seal and rubber stamps. As a result of this, the
institute has devised a more stringent measure that would put the activities of
quacks in check once and for all. Let me say it perhaps for the first time in
any medium that the institute has introduced security stamps to stem the
incidence of quackery. These stamps can only be obtained from the Architects
Registration Council (ARCON). An interesting feature of these stamps is that
they are numbered and can be traced to the person that purchases them. Another
prominent thing about them is that you need to be a registered architect to be
able to purchase them. It is also interesting to note that the security stamps
can not be purchased by proxy. The implication of this is that to purchase the
stamps, you have to be physically present. This is to stem the incidence of fraud
and the need to prevent the stamps from getting into wrong hands. You may also
want to know that the institute has also made it mandatory that drawings of any
form are expected to carry the name and the address of the registered firm. The
essence of doing this is that if there is any problem, you can trace it to the
architect or whoever prepared the drawing. At the chapter level, we have set up
a monitoring group to go around project sites for the purpose of conducting
On-the-Spot Checks. We have also set in motion machinery that would encourage
young graduates of architecture to take the necessary examinations for the
purpose of becoming registered members of the institute. You may also want to
know that this set of people is the major problems of the institute because
sometime they are tempted to water down standards. We are doing our best to
ensure that the problem of quackery becomes a thing of the past within the
shortest possible time. It may also interest you to know that the volume of
work is relatively low and this development has continued to bring to bear on
the tendency for some mischievous people to want to involve in sharp practices.
How is the institute
handling the face-off between it and the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners
(NITP) over the writing of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report? Has
the issue being resolved?
Let me first of all correct the erroneous impression
that there is a conflict between the two professional bodies over the issue of
who writes the report. As far as we are concerned, it is an unnecessary
distraction, which should not have arisen in the first place. I believe that if
we all stick to our roles as specified by the relevant authorities, there would
not be any reason for us to start quarrelling over who does what and who does
not do a particular thing. However, it should be noted that some of our roles
overlap. The enabling law is quite clear on what each of us is supposed to do.
We should therefore not try to reinvent the wheel. So, as far as the institute
is concerned, we do not have any reason to fight over who should write the
report and who should not. All we are concerned with is that all the
professional bodies should concentrate on their areas of specialisation.
What is your
institute doing in respect of the low patronage of your members by the
government? Are you pleased with this development?
I must say that we have
not been receiving challenging jobs from the government at all levels, but this
is not to say that we have not been getting something from them, no matter how
small. However, let me make it abundantly clear that we have not been saddled
with enough responsibility under this dispensation. The heydays of the
architects are gone. A number of factors can be attributed to this development.
First is the lull in the economy. Don’t forget that whenever there is a
lull in the economy, it is the construction industry that is usually the first
casualty. Another major factor is the low patronage in terms of commission. By
this, I mean that consultancy jobs are not coming as expected and this is
seriously affecting the architects. As a result of this development, most
architects are beginning to diversify into other human endeavors. This
development has equally forced some of the architects to relocate to other
countries of the world just to seek greener pastures. Some 20 years ago,
architects were making money from the jobs they were being given. As of now,
architecture is no longer attractive as in the past.
How would you
describe the impact of Archibuilt in the national economy, do you think that the event
should be discontinued?
Not at all. I’m
not in support of those canvassing that the event has become irrelevant and
therefore should be scrapped. Let me tell you that if you an architect, one of
your aspirations is to be known and what other forum do you need to showcase
yourself but Archibult.Don’t forget that the event is the largest specialised
concentration of manufacturing and service providers. It is like one-stop to
know the latest in the industry. It affords the people and stakeholders the
opportunity to know what is going on in the industry. In other countries, you
cannot exhaust exhibitions and therefore, Archibuilt should be allowed to stay and even
encouraged.
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