Expert seeks establishment of board for construction industry

Expert seeks establishment of board for construction industry
Board
By Lilian Okoro
Lagos, July 18, 2018 (NAN) Mr Chucks Omeife, former president of the Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB), has called for the establishment of Nigerian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).
Omeife made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said the establishment of the board would regulate the affairs of the construction industry and enhance its contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He attributed the low contribution of the construction industry to GDP to non-implementation of the appropriate regulatory framework.
He said the industry contributed less than five per cent to the nation’s GDP, which was far from what the industry, which accounted for about 60 per cent of the workforce, should be contributing.
He said the CIDB would promote the growth and development of the construction industry and reposition it for improved performance to enhance its contribution to the economic growth and development of nations.
According to him, the establishment of the board will turn around the fortunes of operators and restore sanity to the industry.
“The board will be saddled with formulating, implementing, regulating policies and initiatives that will speed up development processes, especially in infrastructure across the country.
“It will spearhead the development of capacity, quality of output as well as domestic and international competitiveness of the construction industry,” he said.
He said the establishment of CIDB was one of the key recommendations of several research works on the nature and prospects of the construction industries of developing countries.
He noted that some developing countries like Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, India, Malaysia, Singapore and others had embraced the concept with attendant pay-offs, especially in the realisation of their national goals.
The ex-NIOB president said there were lots of regulatory frameworks that could reposition the industry but they were yet to be implemented.
“With CIDB, the government polices will be implemented. CIDB will strategically engage the government by speaking with a single but collective voice to the government through policy statements, budget advice and programme monitoring,” he said.
Omeife said the board could be a government agency working with and drawing guidance and support from a coalition of public and private sector organisations.
“It can also be a private sector driven agency comprising all stakeholders, collaborating with all arms of government.
“The focus of CIDB is all projects or facilities, resources and activities in both public and private sectors that are related to construction,” he added. (NAN)
LUC/AOM/SA
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Salif Atojoko
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