President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mohammed Abba Tor, has urged cement manufacturers to discount prices of cement as part of their corporate social responsibility and contribution to the development of the housing sector in the country.
The president also urged government to look at the sector holistically with a view to supporting local manufacturers of building materials, which would generate employment and crash prices of houses.
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“Cement has multiplier effect on other components of building construction so we submitted a report that government should engage those manufacturers with a view to extending discount to the housing sector,” he said.
He stressed the need for government to mitigate the inflationary impact on building materials for the successful implementation of the various housing schemes aimed at bridging the deficit in the sector.
Abba Tor said it is more imperative now more than ever to do that due to the devastating effect of COVID-19 on the built environment.
He also said the NIQS embraced technology as a way of keeping afloat.
Speaking further, the president urged developers not to cut corners in the process of producing houses, but to always engage services of professionals in the built environment as a way of guarding against building collapse.
“If you look at incidences of building collapse in Nigeria, it is difficult to see where qualified engineers, architects or quantity surveyors are involved because we, the professional bodies in the sector, have a template of sanctioning them.
“We don’t expect any of our professionals to be involved in such mishaps but where they are involved, we have our frameworks for sanctioning them.
“Where those who are responsible for building collapse are not members of any professional bodies, it becomes difficult sanctioning them,” he added.
