Addressing poor quality project on construction sites

The Nigeria construction sites today are bedeviled with poor quality work resulting in incessant building collapse. The situation is worsened by lack of qualified and skilled artisans and craftsmen in the country. Due to this development, foreign artisans and craftsmen from Togo, Niger, and Ghana among other countries have taken over the construction sites leaving […]

The Nigeria construction sites today are bedeviled with poor quality work resulting in incessant building collapse. The situation is worsened by lack of qualified and skilled artisans and craftsmen in the country.
Due to this development, foreign artisans and craftsmen from Togo, Niger, and Ghana among other countries have taken over the construction sites leaving the Nigeria artisans and craftsmen without job.
Stakeholders in the construction industry noted that poor quality project delivery has become a trend in the country while the skill gap is alarming.
As a result of this, Council for the Regulation of Builders (CORBON), Nigeria Institute of Builders (NIOB) in collaboration with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) came up  with the National Occupation Standard (NOS) under the National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVF) to train and certified artisans and craftsmen in the country.
Speaking during the stakeholders’ validation workshop on the NOS for building trades in Nigeria, organized by CORBON and NIOB in collaboration with NBTE, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Dr. Mas’ud Adamu Kazaure, agreed there is shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry.
He said the solution to the critical challenges of skill gap in the country is technical and vocational education as well as training which the NOS under the NVQF is going to address.
“Today, we are faced with severe skill gap that is weakening the economy and millions of jobs are unfilled because employers cannot find qualified candidates with the skill needed. Approximately 50 million Nigerians are either unemployed or under employed due to lack of necessary skills,” he said.
Kazaure said the NOS and NQVF open the doors for training and education of millions of Nigeria youth currently lagged behind in terms of acquisition of skill and produce more employable graduates, adding that the skill gap can only be eliminated and work force of the future developed through the opportunity to blend learning format at work place with NQVF.
He explained the problem of qualified skill gap exist in the construction industry because the training of the informal sector is not regulated, standardized and certificated, saying “ this is the reason we are bringing the NVQF as  the surest ways to the solution of skill gap in the country. And it will offer a more accelerated and affordable power to qualification that are relevant in the 21 Century.”
“Under the NOS and NVQF, learners or trainees are continuously monitored by training guide, master trainers or internal accesors at their work or place of apprenticeship to progress through a schedule of task of increasing complexity and when considered ready to be accessed for a particular qualification they are tested by a recognized qualified external accesors . In this, candidates must prove that they have the ability and competency to carry out their jobs to the required standards,” he said.
He added that the benefit of a well-trained skilled workforce include higher competence (leading to higher productivity) fewer errors (and thus reduce system downtime) and lower employees turnover rate
On his part, the chairman of CORBON Prof (Bldr) Kabiru Bala, said the NOS would ensure training as well as regulating the activities of artisans and craftsmen in building trades.
“We are aware that the quality of skills in the construction practice can substantially add value to construction sector and consequently the economy.  
It is for this reason we are partnering with NBTE and other stakeholders to address the skill gap. This would be galvanized through the National NVQF programme,” he said.
“The validation exercise will cover carpentry and joinery, plumbing works, tiling and stone finishing works, electrical installation works, still fabrication and fitting works and painting and decoration work,” he said
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Eng. Abubakar A. Magaji, said the federal government will establish Building Craft Training Schools in the six geo-political zones of the country  to address the skill gap and poor quality project.
The Permanent Secretary who was represented by a director in the ministry, Bldr. Salma Yusuf Muhammed, stressed the need for the development of NOS for building trades as well articulated skills development plan for building the sector and create employment opportunities for the youths.