•Ask FG to strengthen FMBN

By Chris Ochayi

The Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria, QSRBN, has called on the Federal Government to urgently reduce import duties on building and construction materials being imported into the country, if it is determined to achieve the dream of infrastructural transformation of the country.

The QSRBN which made the demand at the end of its 2-Day Economic Round-Table on Building and Construction, held in Abuja, also asked that the Government should intervene to make land more readily available at affordable costs to enable stakeholders in the building industry to access them.

The regulatory body, in the communiqué signed by its President, Husaini Dikko and Registrar, Godson Moneke, respectively argued that, since most of the building and construction materials are imported, Government should reduce import duties on them as well as actively encourage local production.

The communiqué also noted that, “there are a universal imperative for national re-orientation to sensitise Nigerians to the critical roles of the Building and Construction sector.”

“The agency also noted that “the leadership of Government needs to exercise political will and demonstrate commitment to the growth and development of the Building and Construction sector.  It should identify the sector as pivotal to sustainable national development.

“All hands, especially stakeholders, must be on deck to move the sector forward. Everyone at the Round-Table should be a change agent in this regard.

“There is the need to integrate State and Local Governments in the sector’s scheme of things, to enhance harmonized policy implementation at all tiers of governance. The development of a robust Data Base for the sector is imperative.

“Similarly, the Building and Construction Sector would benefit immensely from the establishment of an Infrastructure Development Bank and Construction Industry Board as exist in other countries.

“Decision makers in the public and private segments of the sector should increase investments in capacity building [training & re-training] as well as research & development.

“The National Assembly, NASS, should be enjoined to review the Land Use   Act to enhance Housing development in the country.

“Members of the NASS should be persuaded to submit to needs assessment processes in the selection of constituency projects.

“The QSRBN and allied professional bodies should collaborate with such other relevant agencies as the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, and Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to help sanitize the sector and add value to the quality of project outcomes.

“In this regard, all stakeholders must work to combat corruption and hold the relevant actors accountable for the efficient utilization of resources.

“The Public Procurement Act, PPA,  is designed to instill sanity in the system and should be supported. The Act should permeate other tiers of governance and indeed the organized private sector.

“The Bureau of Public Procurement [BPP] has done reasonably well and should be strengthened to institutionalize the culture of value-for-money in public procurements.

“There should be improved co-ordination among professional agencies in the sector, and between clients, consultants and contractors towards achieving better deliverables. Synergy between and among sector professionals, professional bodies and regulatory agencies is imperative.

“The choice of Public-Private Partnerships [PPPs] in infrastructure development is inevitable. It is a critical success factor, if we get it right.

“In adopting concessioning as an infrastructure development model, priority should be accorded to local content.

“Practitioners in the sector should adopt strategic approaches to project implementation.  There is the need for innovativeness to cope with the growing challenges of the sector.

“Technocrats involved in policy and project implementation should be shielded from political influence and pressure.

“Private sector Consultants are key success factors for the sector. Government should intervene to set single-digit interest on loans for projects in the sector.

“The Urban Development Bank of Nigeria [UDBN] should be properly sensitized to the stakeholders through intensive enlightenment programmes.

“There is also the need to properly enlighten contributors to the National Housing Fund, NHF, through public disclosures. Housing should be declared a Right, not a privilege.

“The expression “Low-Cost Housing” appears to be a misnomer due to the poor income levels of target beneficiaries. Government should rather lay emphasis on “Social Housing”.

“The entire mortgage banking system, including relevant legislation, should be reviewed. Clearly, many of the Primary Mortgage Institutions, PMIs, are not performing satisfactorily.

“The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, should be strengthened to fulfill its mandate more effectively. A major step is to boost its capital base. Government should intervene to make land more readily available at affordable costs.

“Since most of the building and construction materials are imported, Government should reduce import duties on them as well as actively encourage local production.

“There are a universal imperative for national re-orientation to sensitise Nigerians to the critical roles of the Building and Construction sector.”