The International Facility Management (IFMA) Nigeria chapter has called for support from its global body in capacity development, which will guarantee international exposure for practitioners and improve the practice.
IFMA Nigeria chapter President, Mr Olalekan Akinwumi, made the call during a visit by the Managing Director of the global body covering Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Ms Lara Paemen to Nigeria.
He explained that the capacity building will expose IFMA members to more innovations, ideas and a facility management strategy that can be deployed on Nigeria’s facilities, especially at a time when the government’s ‘Order 11’ is on.
He added that such training will assist in managing public buildings effectively and prevent decay in landmark infrastructure across the country. He said: “If we have cross-border ideas, regarding how facility management is done abroad and how Nigeria can domesticate it. It will enable effective facility management in Nigeria.”
On concession for membership, Akinwunmi noted that if granted to IFMA Nigeria, it would provide an opportunity for members to belong to the international body, as well as a local body.
According to him, the cost of joining the global body is high due to the economic situation in the country. “We pay in foreign currency and if you dollarise it, members pay huge sums of money. We appealed to them to revisit that and give us special concession,” he explained.
Akinwunmi reaffirmed the commitment of IFMA Nigeria towards developing standards needed to benchmark facility management. He disclosed that the association would launch a new standard next month, which will ensure effective training and eliminate the ‘all-comer affairs’ situation in FM practice.
He said: “What this means is that anybody that is not well trained in facility management will not call himself a facility manager. We will encourage other professionals who practice facility management to get trained.
“For instance, in the building industry, facility management is for everyone and a meeting point for all professionals, but there is still a need for special training in that area. Because if you’re an engineer, it doesn’t make you a facility manager, you must be trained in that aspect.
“Facility management is beyond engineering, it involves the human, equipment and the law. All these have to go together and people have to be trained and grounded to be called facility managers.” He expressed gratitude for Paemen’s visionary leadership and sought more support from the global body.
Responding, Paemen underscores the nation’s growing importance in the international facility management landscape, adding that the global association will support initiatives to further grow the chapter.
The IFMA chief used the opportunity to unveil a scheme aimed at encouraging student participation in the World Workplace (WWP) event, which allows three African students, one from Nigeria and two from other African nations to attend the programme.
Also speaking, IFMA Nigeria’s past president, Segun Adebayo, who highlighted the chapter’s achievements over its 27 years, noted that collaborative efforts will bring value to the country, promote the organisation and build relationships with corporate and public sectors, as well as increase membership.
Adebayo said the chapter collaborated with various institutions including the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, Lagos State Safety Commission, and the University of Lagos to champion notable causes within the building industry.
