Architects under the auspices of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Wednesday, asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to implement Executive Order 5 to tackle the rising cost of building materials in the country.
Signed into law in 2018 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential Executive Order for Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts, and Science, Engineering, and Technology, (Executive Order 5), seeks among others, the promotion of domestic and foreign investments, reduce dependence on foreign goods and the strain on the Naira, facilitating massive job creation and industrial growth.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the President of the Institute, Architect Mobolaji Adeniyi noted that there is an urgent need for an Executive order to arrest the situation while discouraging unnecessary imports.
She said: “We encourage all government agencies to curb its excessive appetite for foreign goods and services. We specifically request that the “Presidential Executive Order for Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts, and Science, Engineering, and Technology, (Executive Order 5)” which was signed into law on February 2, 2018, be dutifully implemented.
“As a matter of urgency, we should prioritize the use of local materials in project design and delivery. As professionals, we owe our country the onerous duty of providing solutions to seemingly daunting technical challenges. This should be our primary calling as professionals in this era of economic gloom. The challenges may seem very daunting but not insurmountable’’.
She added that the sector serves as a viable employer of labour and called for a dedicated electricity supply to industrial hubs.
“The Construction industry employs over 40% of labour. It is also worth noting that this is coming against the background of a very robust plan by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to develop over 100,000 housing units across the nation this year.
“The plan even includes the establishment of building materials manufacturing hubs across Nigeria, forming part of the actionable strategies to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These laudable programs must not be jeopardized by the rising cost of building materials,” Adeniyi said.
Also, the honorary Secretary General of the Institute, Architect Chike Ibeanu, called on the Federal Government to come up with a deliberate policy that would stem the rising cost of building materials.
