By Grace Alegba
The Lagos State Government is collaborating with the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP) to engage stakeholders towards adopting technical committees for domestication of the National Building Code (NBC).
The state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development is championing the process.
Dr Idris Salako, Commissioner in the ministry, during a meeting on Tuesday, took a roll call of the various professional associations and ministries.
The meeting had in attendance all the seven built environment professional bodies and their affiliates.
Ministries of works and infrastructure, environment and other relevant agencies of the Lagos State Government were also presented.
Some professional bodies and ministries, whose important affiliates were not captured, raised objections.
This led to the inclusion of the affiliates, while others were recommended to be subsumed by their parent bodies.
The professional bodies were classified into four groups – pre-design, design, construction, and post-construction categories.
Salako said the roll call was important because of the importance of the inputs of all the experts.
The inputs are owards having an effective template for domestication of the National Building Code (NBC) in Lagos State.
“An effective document for practice will curb building collapse and construction failures in the state.
“Two more review meetings will hold before the inauguration of the technical committees before the end of August,” Salako said.
Earlier, while delivering his speech, the commissioner said the NBC was important as it represented his ministry’s commitment to the THEMES Agenda of making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.
“For certain, the domestication of the National Building Code will afford us the opportunity to strengthen efforts to bequeath an organised, livable and sustainable built environment as contained.
“In this connection, we have started an inclusive process in which all relevant professionals in the built environment are able to work with us to develop and own a Lagos Building Code that we can rely upon for the regulation of the physical environment,” he said.
Salako urged all participants to consider standards of material, energy efficiency, and environment-friendly measures in the sector in line with the peculiarities of Lagos State.
He said that they should not neglect challenges militating against sustainable environment.
The commissioner thanked the Nigerian Energy Support Programme and their principals for the “worthy partnership”.
He said that evolving an acceptable building code for Lagos had enormous advantages to the environment, the state and the people.
This, according to him, is particularly in the areas of Health and Safety, Security and Environment as well as combating building collapse.
Mrs Abiola Kosegbe, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, urged all the experts to ensure credible representation throughout the processes.
Represented by a director, Mr Saheed Animashaun, she said the right representation would remove any vacuum in required inputs for various fields.
She said that it would help to ensure a document to serve as guide for other states who may also want to domesticate the NBC.
Mrs Edima Okodi-Iyah, NESP Advisor on Energy Efficiency in Building, said it was a “national burden” on the built environment professionals and other experts to scrutinise the NBC and adopt options suitable for Lagos.
Okodi-Iyah announced the venue for subsequent meetings before the final adoption of groups, towards inauguration of the sub-committees for the domestication of the Code.
Mr David Majekodunmi, Lagos Chapter Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architecture, urged all experts to study the NBC code to be able to make informed decisions.
Majekodunmi scheduled a zoom meeting for participants and all the seven built environment professionals.
These are Architects, Builders, Surveyors, Engineers, Town Planners, Quantity Surveyors, Estate Surveyors and Valuers.
He said the zoom meeting would help the experts dissect the document before the next meeting for further review of the NBC, so as to achieve excellence. (NAN)
