Following the spate of building collapse across the country, the Federal Government has inaugurated the Builder’s Disciplinary Tribunal to reinforce accountability within the building profession.
The inauguration ceremony held on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 in Abuja was presided over by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa.
Dangiwa explained that professional ethics was important in the construction sector, therefore the tribunal represented a crucial mechanism to ensure compliance with professional standards which would attract penalties of flouted
Recalling several recent building collapses, the latest claiming five lives in Lugbe, Abuja, the Minister said:
“This is not an isolated case but part of a recurring pattern that demands our attention and decisive action”.
On his part, Chairman of the tribunal, Dr. Samson Opaluwah, explained that setting up the Tribunal was part of effort to ensure the society was protected against malfeasance.
He stressed the need for strict adherence to a “Code of Ethics and Professional Practice,” which mandates builders to act with integrity and to avoid practices that could undermine safety.
He therefore called for an expansion of regulations to encompass all practitioners in the construction sector, emphasising the necessity of legal frameworks that can address unlicensed builders.
Similarly, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry represented by a director at the Ministry, Mr. Olatunde Ajayi, welcomed the tribunal’s establishment adding that
it serves as a beacon of justice, ensuring that the building industry operates with the highest degree of transparency and integrity.
The tribunal is established under Sections 16 (1) and (2) of the Builders Registration Act, Cap B13, LFN 2004.
