Architects float tribunal on unethical practice

Parley Lagos on project registration number

Breaches impeding smooth architectural practice in Nigeria may soon be brought under control, as a tribunal to try all unethical issues within the profession is underway.

And going by information from the president of Architect Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Umar Aliyu, the Chief Justice of Federation, Mahmud Mohammed, may in the next two weeks from now inaugurate the tribunal in Abuja.

The tribunal, when it eventually takes off will deal with cases of quackery, defaulters, or any act of indiscipline, supplanting and related offences perpetrated by any architect in Nigeria.

Aliyu gave this hint last week during a media chat, which preceded the take off of 2016 Lagos Architects Forum, tagged Lagos 7.0 held within Eko Hotels and Suit, Victoria Island, Lagos organised by the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Lagos chapter.

For four days, experts within the construction industry, particularly, the architects gathered to discuss “Evolving Architecture”, which was the eighth in series.

Speaking further on the coming of the tribunal, Aliyu said although the Act establishing the council empowers the take off of the tribunal, it was however, regrettable that, past head of the nation’s judiciary had not assented to their request.

Aliyu said: “Since 2012, we have been writing for the Chief Justice of the Federation to the do needful by giving effect to the tribunal but we are grateful to God for making that a reality now as the current CJN, has agreed to act.

He added that CJN’s favorable disposition to our request would further strengthen professionalism particularly, the practice of architecture in Nigeria.

The ARCON chief, who also decried some unwholesome practices within the profession, called the nation’s architects and other allied professionals to join hands towards supporting every right step taken against unethical practices in the field of architecture in Nigeria.

He called on the Lagos State Government to give speedy approval to the adoption of Architect Project Registration Number (APRN).

Similarly, ARCON Registrar said the tribunal would tackle issues of quackery, defaulters, or any act of indiscipline, supplanting and related offences perpetrated by any architect in Nigeria perpetrated by any architect in this country.

Responding to allegation of conspiracy, the Registrar said that once the tribunal takes off, the perceived silence over professional misdemeanor would be over, assuring that, a lot of cases pending, would be handled by the tribunal.

Chief Host and Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who declared the event open, said his government believed in professionalism and would everything possible within the law to ensure irregularities within the construction industry were curtailed.

Ambode, who was represented by a Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Mr. Dipe Bayo, assured that Lagos was working closely with ARCON to ensure that submission of drawings and other issues, which are solely that of the architects were done by registered architects alone.

Keynote speaker at the Lagos Architects Forum (LAF), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba who spoke extempore and held the audience spellbound, said Nigerian architects must of necessity and as fast as possibly have a global rethink of the profession, if the professionals must gain international recognition, adding, it was the architects’ responsibility to ensure their profession did not go into irrelevance.

According to him, architects should see themselves more than house designers, but providers of housing solution, challenging them to do more into building production, as the age of information communication technology, possess threat to the profession, if they did not think outside the box.

NIA president, Mr. Tonye Braide in his speech during LAF said to be in line with the new wave sweeping across the world there was need to re-engineer its approach to the practice of architecture.

“There are changes everywhere from the conception of urban space to the treatment of interior details. There are new technologies, which improve environmental comfort and conserve energy. There are materials, which greatly improve the cost in use with very low maintenance indices. The living experience has moved from the milestones of our grandfathers to the cyber age of our toddlers.”