By Oluwaseun Sonde
Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has charged the newly inaugurated members of 7th Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) to embrace professionalism in all ramifications in the course of discharging their responsibilities.
The Minister gave the charge during the inauguration of newly appointed executive members of the CORBON held at the Conference Hall of the Ministry in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said “ So being a true professional, you must know the subject area very well, you must be master of the game, you are a controller of your skill and you have to use your skill well so that we do not get the unusual results we are getting".
Fashola went further to explain that being a professional, one must be a performer that will deliver on promises and commitments, adding that one has to be moral and ethical in doing the right thing always no matter the situation.
The 11- member Council of the CORBON has Builder Samson Ameh Opaluwah as the Chairman, with Builder Professor Shehu Ahmadu Bustani, Builder Jonathan Chinasa, Builder Dr. Taliat Ola Yusuf and Head of Building of the Ministry as members.
Other members of the Council include; President, Nigerian Institute of Building, President of Structural Engineers, Builder Abdullhamid Isa Yuwari, Builder Christian Chiinedu, builder Alhassan Marke, and Builder Kingsley Oghoro.
On the composition of the new council members, Minister Babatunde Fashola said that the crop of all the members is drawn from professional bodies and cuts across all the zones of the country.
“What you see in the membership is the diversity of our nation fairly represented and we will continue to improve on it. Also, as you have heard from the titles, each one of them is a certified builder, a professional, and an engineer and it is this trait that I speak at the occasion" he said.
Speaking further on professionalism, Fashola stated that, it was a trait we need in the nation’s journey on nation-building which requires many things, adding that, one must be an expert in his field and not just title, to be a professional.
Accordingly, the Minister also charged the members to be focused on their delivery of the Council’s mandate, saying that there would be a distraction from members of their families and the general public.
“There will be pressure, you are Council members, from all sorts of people and places, please do not succumb, because if you do, you are no longer a professional" he said.
Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated Council, the Chairman Builder Samson Opaluwah said that, the Council was established by the Federal Government to regulate the practice of building construction, maintenance, and management in Nigeria.
He explained that, it was also the responsibility of the council to regulate and control the practice of building profession in all its ramifications, as well as to maintain discipline within the profession.
Speaking on the challenges facing the building profession, Builder Opaluwah said that, the 7th Council would build upon the achievements of the first to sixth Council.
“The incessant cases of building collapse especially in the urban areas of the country, the 7th Council shall address this ugly incident as a matter of national priority.” he said.
In response to the Minister’s call for professionalism, the Chairman said, “the 7th Council will lay emphasis on the need to upscale and reskill the Builders, Building Technologists, Technicians and Artisans in the building industry on the emerging technologies to take advantage of the business opportunities in the economy inherent in our huge population.”
Builder Opaluwah thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister and Minister of State, Works and Housing, and Permanent Secretary, for considering them worthy to serve, and promised that the council would professionally discharge it's responsibilities as charged by the Honourable Minister.
Comments