The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo has disclosed that the use of incompetent artisans was one of the reasons responsible for increasing number of building collapse recorded in the country.
A press statement issued by the Director Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Boade Akinola on Friday, February 18, 2022 said the Minister made the attribution while speaking to members of the Construction Skills Training and Empowerment Project (C- STEMP) led by Arc. Gabriel Yakubu Aduku who paid a courtesy visit to his Office the previous day.
TheFact Nigeria gathered that, in a bid to cut cost, people patronise labourers for constructions meant for professionals, hence giving rise to substandard buildings.
Sambo said, “we all know that one of the reasons for building collapse in this country is attributable to the prevalence of the use of unskilled artisans.”
He praised the effort of C-STEMP in coming up with an initiative to fill what he described as a huge gap in the built environment and promised to support them:
“It has been a huge gap in our industry, the construction industry like we all know requires skilled workers. I want to assure the delegation today that they should see us as their partner,” he said.
On the request by the delegation for the reconstitution of the Board of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), the Minister promised to discuss with the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, H.E, Babatunde Fashola, SAN and expressed confidence that it would be treated with priority attention.
Accordingly, Sambo reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to completing the affordable housing development scheme in Gwagwalada, Abuja. Disclosing that funding would be made accessible to subscribers through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
Describing the construction industry as a large employer of labour, Sambo said, “millions of Nigerians will be able to put food on their tables if we have a vibrant construction industry.”
Earlier, the Director General of the Organisation, Anthony A Okwa, FNIOB informed the Honourable Minister that C- STEMP was spurred by the Construction Ideas Fund (CIF) initiated in 2013 by Growth and Empowerment Scheme and the DFID to address the challenge of severe shortage of skilled manpower in the Real Estate sector of the country.
He explained that C-STEMP which has the objective of breaking the paradox of high unemployment and poverty in the midst of severe shortage of skilled manpower in the construction industry, is the pioneer Construction Skills Training provider approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Accordingly, Okwa further said that the Organisation had embarked on several training programmes at home and abroad to boost the supply of competent artisans and craftsmen.
He revealed that C- STEMP was currently working with The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, (CORBON) and the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), National Skills Qualification (NSQ), Framework through the provision of induction, training and assessment of practicing artisans towards attainment of competence certification in line with National Occupational Standards for construction trade.
