Weak legislation, capacity frustrate professionals’ efforts to execute mega projects
Non-compliance to local laws by major real estate investors coupled with the inability of some indigenous built environment professionals to imbibe global best practice in service delivery have continued to throw spanner in the efforts of these professionals to secure mega project deals.
The professionals comprising architects, estate surveyors and valuers, quantity surveyors and civil engineers, among others, bemoan the dominance of the country’s construction industry by foreign professionals, insisting that the trend contravenes global practice.
According to them, there is an urgent need for the relevant government agencies to enforce existing laws and global standard which stipulate that foreign professionals coming to practise must be duly registered and willing to collaborate with local professionals in any project execution.
“The sidelining of indigenous professionals such as architects from some on-going major projects in the country is a function of non-enforcement of existing laws,” Ladi Lewis, chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Lagos State chapter, told BusinessDay in an interview.
Ladi, who also fingered corruption in the system as another reason for the preference of foreign professionals, maintained that the use of local professionals has several advantages that include economic growth.
“Local talents were crucial for the development of Singapore, China and Korea and we expect that the same scenario should play out in Nigeria if we are determined to achieve the heights attained by these nations,” he said.
Article 2 of the code of ethics on consulting services by International Union of Architects says that “based on the principle that the responsibility for the development of every country rests primarily upon itself, the local consultant and professional shall have the primary right to interpret the needs of his people; and his vision as to how his country’s environment could be built, planned, improved and enhanced shall be entitled to respect,”
The document adds that “every consultant from a foreign country, whether his work is as a result of a government-to-government agreement or a requirement of the funding institution or a project from the private sector, shall associate and work harmoniously with consultants and professionals of the country where the project is located.”
Stephen Jagun, chairman, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Lagos State branch, notes that, though some improvement has been recorded by his institute in the number of members now executing mega projects, there is still room for improvement.
“One of the ways we have helped our members seal some major deals was by urging them to benchmark their services with global standards,” he said, adding that, once investors were convinced of a professional’s integrity and quality of service, they would be eager to employ such professional for projects.
Olurogba Orimalade, principal partner, Rogba Orimalade & Co, an estate surveying and valuation firm, affirms that capacity has been the major challenge of indigenous professionals.
“The need for professionals to grow capacity, become members of international organizations and benchmark their services on global best practice have become imperative”, he said at a forum in Lagos, adding that these were crucial for professionals willing to close big deals in a highly competitive business environment.
ODINAKA MBONU