Facilities management institute’s bill gets Senate’s hearing

The Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services has held a public hearing for a Bill- Chartered Institute of Facilities Management (CIFM) of Nigeria 2015.

At the public hearing held at the National Assembly, one of the promoters of the bill, Omachi Jonah, stressed the importance of having a legal entity that will professionalise and regulate the activities of facilities managers in the country.

Jonah said: “The current practice where little attention is given to maintenance culture will become history as facilities managers will have to undergo requisite training and be certified accordingly for effective and efficient service delivery”.

He also said that by the time the Bill becomes an Act of the National Assembly, it will, among other functions, “empower the institute to regulate facilities management profession in Nigeria, reduce the cost of governance and help to improve Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) of the federal, state and the local governments.”

However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, explained that the legislative process would be incomplete without the input of the members of the public.

Paulker assured all participants that the committee would carefully consider all their contributions when reporting back to the Senate for further legislative actions.

He noted that the interest of the generality of Nigerians would take topmost priority in the consideration of all the bills.

The CIFM Bill had earlier sailed through First and Second Readings at the Senate’s plenary of December 3, 2015, and October 4, 2017, respectively.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Baba Kaka from Borno State.