Minister of Housing and Urban Development Muttaqha Darma has pledged to establish proper regulation of Nigeria’s built environment before his tenure ends, arguing stronger oversight is essential to improving standards, protecting public safety and strengthening the sector’s contribution to the economy.
Receiving Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria President Zubair Abubakar and council members on a visit to the ministry in Abuja, Darma said his ministry is finalising a policy framework to establish a coordinated regulatory system for the industry, which will go to stakeholders for consultation later this month before heading to the Federal Executive Council for approval. He said the framework is designed to tackle persistent problems including building collapse, quackery, poor compliance with building codes and the absence of a unified regulatory structure across the built environment. Before I leave this office, we must regulate the industry, Darma said, calling it one of the landmark achievements he has set his mind on, arguing an industry as significant as the built environment cannot keep operating without effective regulation and that all professionals must adhere to uniform standards. There must be certain codes that all of us are responsible to follow and obey, he said, we cannot have an industry as big as what we have and quacks are controlling it, urging COREN and other professional bodies to actively participate in the stakeholder engagement process and describing engineers as indispensable partners in improving the quality and safety of housing and infrastructure delivery nationwide.
Abubakar congratulated Darma on his appointment, calling the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development one of the country’s foremost engineering based ministries and expressing confidence the minister would strengthen the sector and improve professional standards. He said the delegation was also there to invite Darma to the 34th Engineering Assembly, which draws between 8,000 and 9,000 engineers, technologists, technicians, craftsmen and artisans annually, disclosing this year’s assembly will run in both physical and virtual formats and focus on public safety, regulation, compliance and enforcement, with COREN proposing a tiered sanctions regime distinguishing between preventive measures, disciplinary action and prosecution depending on the nature of the offence, aimed at aligning Nigerian engineering practice with global standards.
