Stakeholder Urges Synergy Among Housing Professionals

A stakeholder in the built
environment and a structural engineer, Dennis Igwe, has called for proper synergy among professionals in the built industry on anything that has to do with housing.
Igwe, who disclosed this to The Tide shortly after a breakfast meeting of stakeholders in the housing sector in Port Harcourt, said that there is need for proper planning and synergy among professionals whether for government or private building; for proper project handling.
He said, “we need to sit down to plan or discuss all issues at planning stage, before the execution. When we talk about housing, then we talk about engineering. For any project to be sustainable, there must be local content.
According to him, without the local content, there is no sustainability, just like in Dubai where they make sure that their people are utilized even by foreign experts, but here, such will be a difficult task to execute by government.
Igwe, who is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Port Harcourt branch, said the NSE is trying in the area of training and retraining of its members.
He also advocated for the training of young engineers who are being recruited to the housing ministry for at least two years, and also urged the authorities of government to ensure that only those certified to practice are given the power to stamp engineering designs.
The structural engineer also remarked that the NSE as a body is willing and ready to work in synergy with the government in ensuring that the built environment is moved forward.
Igwe, however, noted that there has not been synergy among professionals in the housing sector, pointing out that such problem has resulted to everyone in the sector working at different direction, with its attendant setback.

Corlins Walter