The Federal Government is considering constituting a presidential task team for the conceptualisation and operationalisation of good architecture in the country.
By Salisu Sani-Idris
The Federal Government is considering constituting a presidential task team for the conceptualisation and operationalisation of good architecture in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that this is one of the requests made on Thursday by a delegation from the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) led by its President, Mobolaji Adeniyi.
The delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The institute also named the Vice-President as Nigeria’s Champion of Good Architecture to elevate design as a national priority as well as a vehicle for unlocking economic potential.
Shettima assured the NIA of the support of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, adding that the President was a dependable ally who is ready to work collectively to move Nigeria forward.
“I want to assure you that all your requests are hereby granted. I assure you too that in President Bola Tinubu you have a very formidable ally with whom we can work collectively to catapult our nation.
“We have more than 10,000 architects in this country; we have people with the experience, exposure and technical knowledge to add value,” he said.
Shettima, who urged the architects to support the current administration, described Tinubu as “a compassionate leader who won’t even want to hurt a fly”.
“But leadership requires taking hard decisions, and I believe that in the fullness of time, posterity will be kind to him.
“I want to implore you to support the government. We will in turn reciprocate by supporting you, by involving you because expertise is not something you can buy in the market place.
“Experience and skills are things that you have to learn and earn at a price. Together, we can make this country a great nation. What binds us together supersedes whatever that divides us.
“If this country succeeds, the black man can hold his head high in the gathering of the black,” the vice president said.
Earlier, Adeniyi, said the reasons for their visit were to share the vision and mission of good architecture in Nigeria.
She highlighted the institute’s role in delivering not only the Renewed Hope mandate of the Tinubu administration but the all-round attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the country.
She noted that architecture embodied not just the physical structure but a representation of culture, society, and ways of life and other concepts of human lives especially in today’s contemporary world.
“Good architecture propels societal progress. When we design and deploy good architecture, it positively impacts society and those who live in our cities, use our buildings in schools, hospital, airports, rail stations, factories, homes, markets, tourist resorts, green recreation areas among others,” she said.
She highlighted some of the challenges in the sector to include increasing departure from architectural design standards and specifications in the construction and oversight functions for buildings,
The NIA president also decried paucity of locally manufactured building materials, lack of up-to-date expertise and capacity for advanced buildings, supply chain constraints as well as sub-standard or poor-quality building materials.
She urged the Vice-President to be the country’s “Champion of Good Architecture, to elevate design as a national priority and making architecture the bridge between aspirations and a reality.
She further invited the Vice-President to its 65th Annual General Meeting (AGM) schedule for November 26.
According to her, the theme of the AGM is “Architectural Excellence for Economic Resilience”.
She also revealed that Shettima would be conferred with the Honorary Fellowship of the institute. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)