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C4 Real Estate /<strong>Independent</strong>ngr @independentngr www.independent.ng INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017 Town Planning Officers, Quacks Subvert Nigerian Architects – Ladega As Lagos State government makes efforts at embarking upon its urban renewal plan, Olusegun Ladega, Managing Director, Interstate Architects Limited spoke to NKASIOBI OLUIKPE on what he thinks should be uppermost on the plan. Excerpts: However, the truth must be told. What is the state of our economy? If you say we need more architects, have the over 6,000 you mentioned been fully engaged? They are not fully engaged because of a number of factors. The first reason is the economic forces, which means that projects of the kind and size and scope and dimension that were easily available in the days when we entered into the profession, which kept us very busy, with lots of projects, do not exist any longer. Secondly, we also have a big problem. The fact that the biggest market for architectural services is the residential building market but it is the sector where unfortunately, we architects face biggest challenge because you have so many quacks and imposters competing with us to render the services that architects render; services such as design of the building, providing documentation for the building construction and the monitoring and supervision of the construction. Ladega In your own opinion, do you think the Nigerian architects have done well to meet the challenges of the 21st Century? I would say yes. You will actually be shocked and surprised to hear certain stories. There is a building in Cairo in a metropolis called Heliopolis. The building there is the headquarters of the African Export Import Bank. Interstate Architects Nigeria Limited designed it. There was an international competition amongst firms of architects based across Africa for the design and Interstate Architects won the competition. The kind of things that the expatriate firms imported into Nigeria, we, Nigerian professionals have also gone elsewhere to do them. There are buildings designed by Nigerian architects that have won international awards for creativity, innovation and for the quality of architecture. It is not that the Nigerian architect cannot design a 50-storey building, why not? But the point is, there isn’t a need for a 50-storey building in Nigeria yet. For that reason, no one has made a demand for the Nigerian architect to design one. So, the fact that you do not have a 50-storey building in Nigeria does not mean that Nigerian architects cannot design one. The simple truth is that there hasn’t been a need for one yet. If the need for one arises and it has to be done in Nigeria, a Nigerian architect will be contacted to do it and he will go ahead and do it, ditto other kinds of complicated or simple buildings. So, there are three things here: is there a need for it? Is there a patron for such a project and can they finance such a project? What I am trying to say is that, we have the capability, creativity and the resourcefulness to handle practically any kind of projects. The quacks have so empowered themselves that they influence what happens in the town planning office to subvert the architects and whether we like it or not, failure to enforce the laws of the land, and failure to sanction, are part of the reasons we are where we are When your generation graduated, hopes were high and opportunities abound but same do not apply to the new generation of architects. Why? It is a reflection of the state of the economy and the absence of sufficient opportunities for these young architects to express themselves. I told young architects in our firm here that years back when I graduated, it was a completely different Nigeria, a Nigeria when there was a lot of confidence in what the economy had to offer. Unfortunately, things have changed. When we graduated from school, we were among the highest paid professionals in Nigeria. But unfortunately, things have reversed because of the state of the economy and the demand for the services of architecture practitioners. Those changes are not the fault of the practitioners but that of economic forces that have come into play, which means that there are fewer opportunities. Now if we look at our population, and the number of architects we have here, you will discover we need more architects. But don’t you think it has to do with the service charges of the architects, which some of the patrons of these quacks think is beyond them? That I will even say is also a large bit of misinformation. Nigeria is a country where superstition meets with oldwife’s tale to influence people more than truth and reality. It’s a pity. The architects’ services are directly proportional to the cost of the project. It means the architect charges a percentage (seven and a half) of the cost of constructing the building as his fees. A small insignificant percentage! People without even inquiring assume based on inaccurate information. According to the laws in the state, drawings presented for planning approval are supposed to be produced by an architect. And the way to determine the authenticity of the drawings is that there will be an architects’ stamp on them. There is also a challenge here as there are fake architects’ stamps. It is so bad that in some states, the quacks have so empowered themselves that they influence what happens in the town planning office to subvert the architects. Whether we like it or not, failure to enforce the laws of the land, and failure to sanction, are part of the reason we are where we are. So many buildings are collapsing all over the place. Has anything happened to those quacks responsible for the collapse? Has anything even happened to the civil servants who are supposed to be monitoring all the building constructions going on in the states? In every state, there are officers who are paid through our tax, who have a duty to go around the state and check on buildings under construction and if there is any form of non-compliance, they are supposed to shut down the building. My question is how come some of those constructions continue, some of them even completed? People have moved in before they collapse. Name any state of the federation where the officers who are supposed to ensure compliance with building procedures have been sanctioned for a collapse? This is not an issue for the professionals alone. The state has structures that are supposed to prevent these things from happening, and people earn salaries for occupying positions of compliance officers and there are non-compliances all over the country. CONTINUES ON P.C5 •
INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017 /<strong>Independent</strong>ngr @independentngr www.independent.ng E1 Niger Delta MOUTH OF THE SOUTH Isaac Asabor +2348020565643 isaac.asabor@independentnig.com Community Protest Paralyses Pan Ocean’s Operations In Delta The people of Ovade-Oghara Community in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State have embarked on an indefinite protest paralyzing the operations of Pan Ocean Oil Corporation (Nigeria) Limited (PANOCO). Okowa Pledges To Use SMARTART Agenda To Rev Up Youths Career E2 Delta state Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa has pledged to use his administration’s SMARTART Agenda to rev up the career of the youths in the state to enable them achieve their dreams. E3 Sacked Edo APC Publicity Secretary’s Kinsmen Protest Removal Kinsmen of the sacked Edo State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Godwin Erhahon on Tuesday took to the streets of Ologbo Nugu Community in Orhionmwon local government area of the state to protest the removal of the former party spokesman from office. E4 ExxonMobil Responsible For 95% Oil Spills In A/Ibom – AKIPCON Dr Ufot Phensen is the National President,Akwa Ibom Oil Producing community development network (AKIPCON). In this exclusive interview with our Correspondent, Idongesit Ashameri, he spoke on the fight against environmental degradation by oil companies operating in the state, the aborted public hearing by the commission of enquiry set up by the National Human Right Commission (NHRC), alleged outdated pipelines by Exxonmobil, and the politics of palliative instead of compensation by oil companies in the event of oil spills. Excepts AKIPCON and other Niger Delta agitators some months ago engaged oil companies in a panel of enquiry set up by the National Human Right Commission. What has been the outcome of that engagement? As you are fully aware, the Akwa Ibom Oil Producing Community Development Network (AKIPCON), has been in the process of spearheading the struggles for the realization of socio-economic benefits, compensation and human right of the people of Akwa Ibom state for decades of oil exploration activities by oil companies in Akwa Ibom state. We are backed up with an irrevocable power of attorney donated to the executive officers of the organization, having been empowered by our royal fathers who have equally suffered the impact of oil exploration and violation of human right of the people of Akwa Ibom state. We decided to petition the National Human Right Commission of Nigeria in 2015. The commission came, carried out an on-the-spot investigation of human right violations in Akwa Ibom state and the team was led by the then executive secretary of the commission, Prof. Bem Angwe. The team visited Ibeno, Eket, Eastern Obolo, Esit Eket, Mbo and other parts of Akwa Ibom state. The team was surprised that oil companies in Akwa Ibom state are still flaring gas. We saw torn nets, polluted fishing equipments, including outboard engines, and also saw the quality of water drank by the people. The areas, especially Ibeno stank by the emission of gas from cocked and uncocked oil wells across the state. the team also discovered that all these amounted to human right violation, and that the people of Akwa Ibom state are severly impacted by polluted air, both on land and water, and even through the food they eat. We eat poisonous foods, polluted Sea foods of which some were dead! The team saw dead birds, witnessed where human be- Phensen ings died, and where medical reports and death certificates were issued. They witnessed those affected by the degradation were tested in government hospitals and discovered that the situation in Akwa Ibom was, and still, deplorable and pathetic. The then executive secretary, having studied the mandate of the commission, as enshrined in sections 5&6 of the National Human Right Commission Act 1995 as amended in 2010, that section of the act mandate the commission to investigate any form of human right violation, it does not spell out any no go area, nor boundary. That is to say that the commission has the right to investigate any source of human rights violation and that is exactly what the commission was doing. The executive secretary set up a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) in 2016 and the commission’s SIP visited Akwa Ibom four times where four successful public sittings were held at the federal high court Uyo, with all the oil companies. Those alleged to be polluting Akwa Ibom environment were in attendance. They stated their cases, we also stated our cases. When Shell, a notorious culprit discovered that the commission was going to make a monetary determination for the people of Akwa Ibom state, that is to say drawing the conclusion and telling each of the oil companies how much they had to pay to the people of Akwa Ibom state for polluting our environment, and causing human right abuses and violation, they sensed that they were guilty and decided to run to Uyo federal high court to restrain the SIP from further sitting and making clear determination as stipulated by national human right act section 5&6 of 1995 as amended in 2010. Shell also led other oil companies like Total, Total Exploration, Seven Exploration otherwise known as Septa Energy, ADAC Petroleum and Monopoly, they went to Court on grounds of the fact that the SIP has no jurisdiction nor competence to entertain oil and gas matters which the companies had earlier admitted their faults and later claimed that hearing any oil related matter and accessing compensation is the responsibility of federal high court in Nigeria. The Court in its ruling by Hon Justice Riman, accused the NHRC of acting ultra vires, that is, acting outside the mandate of the commission, whereas the commission acted within the limit of the law which established it. So, we now see the ruling of Riman as a calculated attempt to rubbish and dilute the powers, render the NHRC of Nigeria established by Nigerian law and African Charter to which Nigeria is a signatory. This is also a big blow and absolute disregard to the dignity of our great country by oil companies from nowhere to try to rubbish the commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is also aimed at denying the people their rights. Those are the four angles to it. It is an attempt to permanently deny the people their right and finally it has opened a very wide window for violence. What exactly do you mean by such action opening a window for violence? What I mean by the action of Shell, and these other companies going to court to restrain the NHRC to have opened the window of violence is that you remember there was a spill at Eket on July 7th, youths blocked the entrances of ExxonMobil, if Shell and other companies had agreed for that peaceful resolution by the National Human Right Commission, that action would not have been. Staff of ExxonMobil were shut off, if not for quick intervention of patriotic Akwa Ibom people. The situation in Akwa Ibom State as far as non payment of compensation to the people of Akwa Ibom State is concerned is like a time bomb, there is no body that can guarantee absolute peace in Akwa Ibom State because people are sitting on a gun power, at any time anything can explode. So the situation is very dangerous. Why not allow yourself to be judged? We surrendered ourselves to be judged by the panel, we appeared before the panel. That was the first time CONTINUES ON .E3 •
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