Use of unskilled artisans fuelling building collapse – Minister

The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, has said the use of incompetent artisans in the real estate sector is among the factors  leading to building collapse in the country. The minister, in a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Boade Akinola, during a visit […]

The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, has said the use of incompetent artisans in the real estate sector is among the factors  leading to building collapse in the country.

The minister, in a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Boade Akinola, during a visit by members of the Construction Skills Training and Empowerment Project (C-STEMP) described the construction industry as a large employer of labour that would employ more Nigerians if the requisite skills are learnt.

“We all know that one of the reasons for building collapse in this country is attributable to the prevalence of the use of unskilled artisans,” he said.

He praised the effort of C-STEMP in coming up with an initiative to fill what he described as a huge gap in the built environment and promised to support them.

He stated that a huge gap in the construction industry requires skilled workers.

“I want to assure the delegation today that they should see us as their partner,” he said.

On the request by the delegation for the reconstitution of the board of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), the minister promised to discuss with the  Minister of Works and Housing,  Babatunde Fashola, SAN, and expressed confidence that it would be treated with priority.

Earlier, the director general of the organisation, Anthony A. Okwa, told the minister that it has spurred by the Construction Ideas Fund (CIF) initiated in 2013 by Growth and Empowerment Scheme and the DFID to address the challenge of severe shortage of skilled manpower in the real estate sector of the country.

He explained that C-STEMP, which has the objective of breaking the paradox of high unemployment and poverty in the midst of severe shortage of skilled manpower in the construction industry, is the pioneer construction skills training provider approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).