Professional bodies hinge nation-building on human capital devt

Professional bodies comprising practitioners in the built environment have said that human capital development is critical to spurring development in any nation, stressing that the absence of professionals at central positions hampers the nation-building process.

The professionals who converged at the weekend under the aegis of Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Lagos State chapter, pledged to contribute their quota towards nation-building by ensuring strict compliance to codes of conduct in the various sectors of the economy where they practice.

“All over the world, professionals drive the building process of a nation and this we believe should be replicated in Nigeria,” Adewale Adeyemi, chairman of the association, told journalists in a press briefing in Lagos.

To him, if professionals in every sector of the economy wielded their diverse expertise together, they could play a major role in directing the nation’s path in its building process.

Citing the construction industry as a case study, Adeleye Titilayo maintained that the absence of professionals at the several areas of the profession had seemingly slowed the sector’s growth in recent times as insightful ideas which should spur the sector’s growth seem to be missing.

To deepen this thrust, the state chapter is organising the maiden edition of its annual public lecture and award which will hold at Agip Hall of the Muson Centre, Lagos, on Wednesday, February 12, 2014.

Themed ‘The Role of Professionals in Nation Building’, the event will also provide an opportunity to recognise and award professionals who have excelled in their areas of specialisation.

On the output of the conference, Adewale assured on the availability of an appropriate mechanism for the association to drive its resolutions to the appropriate authorities which, he believes, would serve as a guideline to achieving national growth.

By:  ODINAKA MBONU