· Institute seeks collaborations to save building sector from quackery
Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has been honoured with a corporate award of the Chartered Institute of Builders Nigeria, even as the Director, Administration of the foremost engineering construction company, Alhaji Zubairu Bayi, a distinguished Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Building (FNIOB), also bagged a professional leadership award during the event.
At the recently ended two-day event to mark the CIOB Nigeria Meet 2023 with the theme: Construction Industry Development Collaborations, Innovations and CIOB Capacity Building, the Group Head of CIOB Nigeria Hub, Builder Isiaka Adekunle Onabekun disclosed that being the first CIOB Meet, it was expedient for the organisers to recognise leaders in the industry, be they individuals or corporate. He added that, “…when leaders arise for the common good, challenges are surmounted, impossibilities give way to aspirations, possibilities, hopes, and good success for the future.” He further said, as “I look at this hall today, I am encouraged that the inspiring leaders are here.”
Saying that the CIOB Nigeria Hub was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC in 2019 with a view to contributing to the construction sector in accordance with international best practices, Onabekun added that CIOB Nigeria Meet 2023 is all about ensuring enduring working relationship with other existing institutions and regulators towards building construction integrity in the country.
On why the CIOB Nigeria is recognising Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, and a Director of the company, Builder Zubairu Ibrahim Bayi, Fniob, amongst other industry professionals, Onabekun said, “Julius Berger commendably continues to be at the forefront of strong, stable and lasting building construction as an epitome of enduring professional integrity, technical confidence, reliability and excellence in the nation’s built environment. While commending Julius Berger for the company’s strict and noble adherence to high engineering standards and orderly compliance to international best practices in engineering construction, Builder Onabekun regretted that many technical building requirements are compromised by quacks in the industry. He said missing or compromised ethical values remains the major catalyst of serial incidence of building collapse in the country. Building projects, he lamented, are implemented by many quacks without recourse to construction stages approvals; and where such approvals are sought and obtained compliance remains controversial due to the ethical poverty of those meant to comply with approved and worthy standards.
Builder Onabekun urged senior professionals and leaders in the built environment to assist the CIOB Nigeria Hub’s determination to contribute its quota to the lifting of standards in building construction in the country. He further enjoined Julius Berger to continue with its historically established and worthy path of engineering construction excellence and lasting structural stability in the building industry in Nigeria.