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Architects lament preference for foreign firms

By Anthony Otaru, Abuja
30 April 2018   |   4:20 am
For the umpteenth time, the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has kicked against the use of foreign firm, re-emphasising that indigenous firms are better than their foreign counterparts...

For the umpteenth time, the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has kicked against the use of foreign firm, re-emphasising that indigenous firms are better than their foreign counterparts in terms of quality jobs and timely delivering of projects.

They stated that engaging Nigerian architects by construction firms, governments or individuals will go a long way to help conserve the needed foreign exchange for the nation.

ARCON Registrar, Umar Saulawa Murnai also told journalists at the Architect colloquium held last week in Abuja, that the greatest challenge facing the council is that of activities of quacks that infiltrated into the practice.

Murnai said: ‘’Our major challenges are that several quacks and non professionals have sneaked into practice, we are very disturbed because most of these people are the ones responsible for frequent collapse of houses, failed projects and they are also very dubious.’’

The Registrar assured that the council has taken bold steps to find lasting solution to the problems. “What we did was to put in place the Architect Project Registration Numbers (APRN), where all qualified members have been registered, so if you are not properly registered, then you are a quack, we get such people prosecuted anytime they are caught.”

He said the colloquium is an avenue where all practitioners are brought together for proper appraisals as well as a ground where senior members are invited to lecture on trending issues to keep members in tune with modern day realities.

Meanwhile, the National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved in principle the upgrading of architecture study from the department level to full-fledged faculty levels in all Nigerian universities.

NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Adamu Abubakar Rasheed announced the approval at the just concluded Architects Colloquium, adding that the approval was based on a request made to the commission by ARCON.

Prof . Rasheed was represented at the occasion by NUC an Acting Director, Mrs. Maryam Sabi.

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