The President of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Architect Mobolaji Adeola Adeniyi, has described the rising cases of building collapse in Nigeria as a “Nigerian problem.” Speaking on the sidelines of the Women in Business and Career (WIBAC) Conference organized by the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Oyo State Women Wing, in Ibadan, Architect Adeniyi told Wellsradio 89.3FM’s Bolanle Oduekun-Ayoola that many unqualified persons, in a bid to make money, take on construction projects without the required training or professional certification.
She lamented that even architecture students who are not fully trained often accept commissions for projects they are unqualified to handle. Such people, she said, are “quacks” whose activities endanger lives and properties.
According to her, the role of an architect goes far beyond drawing plans and extends to supervising all professionals on site. She also identified the use of substandard materials and disregard for approved building plans as other major causes of collapses.
Architect Adeniyi criticized investors who hire unqualified persons to cut costs, likening it to entrusting a critical surgery to medical students. “If you wouldn’t let an untrained medical student perform surgery on your father, why hand over your building to quacks?” she asked.
On measures being taken by the NIA, Architect Adeniyi explained that her leadership has embarked on advocacy with government, media houses, and stakeholders. She disclosed that new regulatory measures will soon require all building sites to display project boards carrying the NIA logo, as a sign that the supervising architect is duly registered. Defaulters and members caught cutting corners, she added, will face punitive actions.
During the WIBAC Conference, Architect Adeniyi was honored for her pioneering spirit and groundbreaking leadership, alongside other outstanding Christian women leaders such as Evangelist Mrs. Lillian Bademosi, CEO of Juniors and Christ Ambassadors International Schools, who received the Legacy in Learning Award.