The Edo State Development and Building Control Agency is seeking closer collaboration with professional regulatory bodies to curb quackery and reduce delays in building approvals. Managing Director Igabali Darlington made the call during a stakeholders' meeting in Benin City with representatives of professional organisations responsible for town planning, architecture and engineering.
The Managing Director of the Edo State Development and Building Control Agency, Town Planner Igabali Darlington, has urged professional bodies in the built environment to ensure that documents submitted for building approvals comply with the required standards. He said defective or incomplete submissions can contribute to delays and create opportunities for unqualified practitioners.
Darlington made the appeal during a stakeholders' engagement at his office in Benin City involving the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria, the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria. The meeting was convened to strengthen coordination between the agency and the professional bodies.
He said architects, engineers, town planners and other specialists have distinct responsibilities in preparing and certifying technical documents used in development and building approval processes. He raised concerns about documents allegedly signed, sealed or submitted by professionals outside their areas of competence, including cases involving questionable credentials.
The agency proposed closer scrutiny of architectural, structural, engineering, planning and other relevant documents, alongside verification of registration seals, signatures and professional credentials. Darlington said the approach was intended to clarify requirements for applicants and help ensure that submissions are prepared by appropriately qualified and registered professionals.
The agency's managing director also urged developers and property owners to engage approved professionals from the beginning of their projects. Architect Wilson Agbonta, chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Edo State Chapter, welcomed the initiative and pledged support for efforts to reduce quackery and impersonation, with the stated objective of improving the building approval process.