Experts set agenda for incoming government on projects’ implementations

… Harp on developing a National Cost Data Bank
….Advocate for life cycle budget for government-owned structures

By News Editor

Stakeholders in the building industry have set agenda for incoming All Progressives Congress, APC, administration, urging the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure continuity of all ongoing construction works to avoid further proliferation of abandoned projects in the country.

They also advised the administration when swore-in to draw up a policy that will make budget provision for life cycle costing mandatory for every government-owned structure in order to preserve and prevent them from decaying and dilapidation as being the case currently in Nigeria.

President of Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria, QSRBN, Murtala Aliyu, who echoed the position of the stakeholders in the construction sector, while speaking with newsmen in Abuja, noted that whether private or government-owned, building should have a life cycle budget.

Aliyu, who further advised that government should henceforth, involve cost experts before the projects are conceived, noted that most projects were abandoned because they are not well prepared.

He said, “I think what is responsible for abandoned projects is that the projects are not well prepared, projects are not all about design but budgetary preparations are made.

“That is why on our own side we want to encourage that the government should involve cost experts before the projects are conceived.”

He warned that, “So long as the government just blankets the whole things without any scientific portrait, I think we would continue to have abandoned projects. By then tens of trillions of Naira are scattered all over the places.

“So the new government and President must insist that between them and the National Assembly, they must involve those experts before the projects are deployed to the public.

“Continuity from one government to another, that is what we are hoping for. You find out that politicians even in the same political party change. We are hoping that people should understand government, public duty as a continuum.

“Whoever comes, find out what the previous administration was doing should continue. You can make modifications in approach and methods but not in changing the projects.”

On what the Board is doing to address the issue of corruption in the construction industry, Aliyu said, “We can manage corruption by putting substantial standards on our members and make sure that we outline the issues and consequences of corruption.

“We cannot fight corruption alone, we need the architects, engineers, members of the National Assembly and the media. So in our case what we do, through outings like this, we sensitize our members and reinforce the issue of ethics of the profession.

“One of the things we are almost concluding is developing a National Cost Data Bank, which will give a benchmark for projects. So if you are having a road project in Akwa-Ibom State, you know this is the range. With the benchmark we will be able to guide.

“The International Cost Management Standards, ICMS, which deals with major construction of which I am a Board of Trustee member, we are looking at standardizing costs all across the country and standardizing projects.

“The truth is that, in some countries they don’t include the cost of compensation as part of project costs. They don’t put bridges as part of project cost. In Nigeria for example, let’s use the Abuja-Kano Road, I understand that there are 52 bridges, so if you take a situation where there are three bridges compared to 53 bridges, you find out that the cost is more.

“But sometimes we need to know what we are comparing before we make blanket statements that projects cost so much in this country.

“There is corruption, I’m not disputing that, but what I’m saying is, there’s no corruption all through.”

“So when the experts are used, we can bring down the cost action. Cost experts will look at all these things and analyze the situation for a better result and cost-effective project.”

On what is responsible for the dilapidated Federal structures, especially the Federal Secretariat buildings in Abuja, the QSRBN President said, “Because there is no provision for the life cycle costing.

“Like for every structure, whether private or government-owned, should have a life cycle budget. If you don’t have a life cycle budget of course, it’s like your car if you don’t change engine oil, it will stop one day.

“So you have to make provision for the maintenance of minor or major things that need to be fixed.”