BCPG Cautions Sanwo-Olu on Certified Accreditor Programme

Bennett Oghifo

The Lagos State chapter of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), a national non governmental organisation, has cautioned Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the implementation of the Certified Accreditor Programme (CAP) that was introduced by his administration in order to curb the incessant collapse of buildings in the state.

They stated this in a letter to Sanwo-Olu that was signed by the Chairman, Building Collapse Prevention Guild, Lagos State Chapter, Tpl. Joseph Akande, and the General Secretary, Bldr. Mubarak Gbaja-Biamila. The letter is titled: “Building Collapse Prevention: Scramble For Certified Accreditor Job – Need For Caution.”

The essence of the CAP, which they said is commendable, is to incorporate building professionals from the private sector into the building plan approval process, monitoring and certification of building construction projects and verification of structural integrity of buildings.

The BCPG said, “the modus operandi requires the formation of consortia by building professionals of diverse fields of specialisation. It entails payment of yearly registration fee that ranges from N200,000 to N500,000 by each participant and an annual professional indemnity insurance of N2,500,000. The remuneration for CAP participants are to be sourced by the government from developers and homeowners. Is CAP the panacea for building collapse?”

Also, the Guild said the programme mirrors its activities, even though voluntary, stating that “It is interesting that the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPP&UD) is adopting the BCPG model of private sector participation in cell/team formations. However, the motive behind the scramble for a risky indemnifying job has to be unearthed towards prescribing necessary antidotes.

“The excitement out there is giving an impression that CAP is an invitation to come and eat. Those professionals whose professions are not listed in the programme seem to nurse reservations of being sidelined from potential incentives/benefits/palliatives. Favouritism and marginalisation are being alleged among those whose professions appear in the lower cadre/category on the list. There is an undercurrent that those who conceived the idea of CAP skewed the programme to favour their profession. This rumour is capable of causing disunity among professionals in the built environment. Professional segregation and unhealthy strife for supremacy. It all portends a struggle for survival without paying due attention to the risk aspect of CAP.

“Over this scramble, past experience now arouses our suspicions that there could be a hidden motive than the incentives to be provided by the government.

“Going back in time, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development was divided into three agencies by URPD Law (Lagos State Physical Planning, Urban Development, Urban Regeneration and Building Control Law) in 2010 during the tenure of Governor Babatunde Raji-Fashola. Fortunately, you were the Vice Chairman of the Technical Committee that prepared the 2010 URPD Law.

“One of the salient reasons for this separation was to institute checks and balances mechanism that would ensure that building plans approved by the Lagos State Planning Permit Authority (LASPPA) are complied with on sites through the monitoring exercise of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

“Having discovered by the Gen. Tunde Reis-led Technical Committee that prepared the 2010 URPD Law that Lagos State had about 48,000 building sites while the *monitoring staff* of the MPP&UD was less than 300, the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) was established in 2011 to assist the system.

“The BCPG structure covered all the local governments in Lagos State in Cells’ formation. Each cell was composed by members of the 7-built environment professional bodies, residing or working in that locality. BCPG members were majorly Architects, Builders, Engineers, Estate Surveyors & Valuers, (Land) Surveyors, Quantity Surveyors and Town Planners. The ubiquitousness of BCPG members was aimed at supporting the low staff strength of the government *pro bono* by bringing to the notice of government officials substandard building construction works and distressed buildings within the cells.

“There are two indices one needs to accentuate in this equation that is being gradually resolved. The establishment of LASBCA initiated intense lobbying by some Architects, Builders, Engineers and Town Planners in the civil service, seeking to be posted to the new agency. Scramble for a risky indemnifying job. Why?; Built environment professionals in the MPP&UD formed a united front against the involvement of professional colleagues from the private sector in the building plan approval vetting and building site monitoring. Territorial defence posture. Why?; The motive behind the love, scramble for the LASBCA job could not be fathomed out until a discovery was made by some BCPG leaders while on site inspection at Ebute-metta, Lagos in 2013.”

They said, “Ebute-metta is well-known for high incidence of building collapse, and the area is under BCPG Lagos Mainland Cell. Hence, BCPG members in this locality were expected to notify government officials whenever they observed infractions in building construction.
“One day, some BCPG leaders attired in BCPG uniform decided to pay a visit to two or three building sites in Ebute-metta. Two of the buildings had no building plan approval and construction works being carried out by developers were below standard. Rather than take to corrections, the developers prefer to offer them (BCPG members) envelopes (monetary gifts), which were politely rejected. The developers were astounded, volunteering that inducement was the common norm. Information was passed to the appropriate agency for necessary actions that would ensure the right thing was done on these sites.
“This experience was debated at the BCPG meeting of the Chairmen of the 7-built environment professional bodies in Lagos State. Such regular meetings enabled the BCPG Chairman in the state to give constant feedback or report of BCPG activities to the 7 professional bodies’ Chairmen. It was resolved at the meeting that BCPG members should avoid site monitoring until modalities of overcoming temptation were developed. BCPG must be protected from corrupt practices.

“Moreover, It was discovered that deliberate bottlenecks were created in the building plan approval process for extortion purposes. As identified by Apostle Paul in the Holy Book, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” A centre of corruption is very attractive to most people, who are susceptible to easy and quick illegitimate money making.

“At the inception, many who rushed to join BCPG quickly retraced their steps when they discovered the organisation was to render a voluntary or selfless service. There was the need to discourage material gains as a source of attraction for membership. Individual members were contributing for the activities being carried out in their cells. This approach gave members a deep sense of belonging. Long period of interaction among members would enable those who genuinely possess passion for building collapse prevention to be identified.

“The philosophy was based on social responsibility, that is, giving back to the building industry that provided/remained our source of income. Indeed, the decision by the leadership of BCPG to discourage financial support from the government then was wise. It has enabled the chaff to be separated from the grains. Those who have passion for professionalism in order to save lives would not likely compromise in the process of building plan approval and building construction.

“Experience has revealed that poverty mentality and greed make certain individuals elevate pecuniary gains above risks. How do we explain a situation where a so-called professional endorses/signs the stage certification or conformity form for a building that he/she did not supervise?

“Ironically, it is mostly those that avoided voluntary service of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild are today scrambling for the certified accreditor job. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?_ -Who will guard the guards themselves?

“At the BCPG meeting of 6th December, 2022, held at Ikeja and drew representatives from all the BCPG Cells across Lagos State, members expressed concern over the intention to turn building collapse crisis into money-making venture through CAP by registering companies (consortia) that would place excess financial burden on developers and homeowners, resulting in cutting corners ( cheating on standards).

“In respect of this Certified Accreditor Programme, we commend you, sir for taking the bold step, breaking the hitherto resistance against private sector participation in building plan approval and building control jobs. However, if the mindset of those coming from the private sector is not purified, those in the system that are being accused of compromise might have the last laugh.”

BCPG recommended that “Those who are to take part in the Certified Accreditor Programme should declare their assets before the commencement of the operation; Participants should be made to undergo moral and ethical training; They should be administered with special oaths of transparent and uncompromising service; Stringent conditions should be met by participants in CAP while severe disciplinary actions should be administered on erring members. The annual N2,500,000 indemnity insurance fee might be insignificant when CAP participants’ intervention or incompetence later results in severe building defects; A reward system that is based on performance evaluation and an annual special award programme should be organised to honour those identified as diligent workers as a form of encouragement against compromise.”

They said, “Revenue generation should no longer be allowed to supersede building control tenets. Building control officials should focus more on quality control rather than searching for building regulation offenders that could pay huge fines to meet their ( LASBCA officials) weekly targets. Revenue drive encourages negotiation and reduction of fines that end up in personal pockets.

“The idea of turning peer review of building drawings and site monitoring into business venture for consortia can be counter- productive as it will become a burden on developers and homeowners. Under this strangulating economic situation, propensity to cutting corners, that is, quality compromise might be promoted; Every year, graduates of built environment professions are being offloaded into the labour market. Quackery in the building industry should be seriously addressed to enable professionals be gainfully employed rather than turning them into monitoring officers that devalue their primary practice.

“For years, practitioners in the private sector have been accusing their colleagues in the MPP&UD of using their advantageous position to curry favour and snatch their clients. Hence, participants in the Certified Accreditor Programme should be prevailed upon not to indulge in such unethical practices. In fact, they should be prevented from having direct contact with clients. Their interaction or clarification on drawings being processed for approval should be limited to the professionals that originally designed the buildings; Undue political influence or interference that obstructs compliance to building regulations should not be condoned; Vehicles, logistic equipment, adequate welfare and comfort should be provided to LASBCA officials; Well-equipped enforcement teams should be accommodated in all local governments to respond early to distress calls from monitoring officers.”

The practicability of CAP, they said, “is in doubt because of inexperience and the use of untested personnel etc. It is wise to do a test run of the programme with a pilot scheme in two or three local governments for a period of one or two years in order to overcome the inevitable teething problems.

“Inconsistency and intrigues have been the bane of policy formulation and implementation in the Ministry of Physical Planning & Urban Development partly due to frequent change of commissioners and permanent secretaries.

“Five Commissioners and five permanent secretaries have mounted the saddle of power in the MPP&UD since 2011 when BCPG was established. Power, of course, is transient. Our ideas, implementation strategies based on our wealth of experience in the attenuation of building collapse would hardly be put to test before a new head assumed the top position in the Ministry. Egocentrism sometimes prevented the ideas or programmes of the predecessor be shared or continued.

“There have been many collaborative meetings and efforts between the MPP&UD and BCPG that failed to materialise in action. Coincidentally, you were present at one of those meetings held at the ministry and chaired by the then Commissioner, Tpl. Wasiu Anifowose on 15th May, 2017. That was when you were the MD of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC).

“The BCPG team at the meeting was composed of the Chairmen of the 7-built environment professional bodies in the state and the Exco Members of BCPG. The resolution at the meeting was not implemented before a new commissioner took the reins of power. Back and forth experience.

“Hence, *senior and* seasoned professionals in the built environment are skeptical of the outcomes of stakeholders’ meetings organised by the MPP&UD.

“If developers and homeowners can *do a* rethink and comply with building regulations by engaging the right professionals in building projects, there would be no need for government to expend humongous resources on site monitoring. It is the construction team on a site that should be responsible for project quality delivery, not the monitoring officer(s) who can only visit the site occasionally.

“The role of the monitoring officers is supposed to ensure that the right professionals, who can be held responsible/ liable are fully involved in the project delivery process. Hence, the monitoring officers might not need to be too many. *Painfully, the attitude of some astute developers, who are bent on maximising profit at the expense of quality makes intense monitoring and enforcement inevitable.*

“It is unfortunate that sycophants that surround and shield the boss at the helm of affairs from the reality on the field distort performance index.

“Sir, to sustain the Certified Accreditor Programme beyond your tenure requires your personal attention in the face of your extremely busy schedule. Collective efforts and unalloyed sincerity of purpose will definitely save our state from the crisis of building collapse.

“Your tenure, of course, will be remembered for good if the rate of building collapse is reduced to the barest minimum. BCPG, as the watchdog, will monitor the Certified Accreditor Programme in the public interest.”