Date: 2014-11-21

Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed has charged architects to evolve "an architecture and urbanization that is uniquely Nigerian", and would be appealing to the international community as well.

Governor Ahmed who gave this charge in a message to the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Architects holding in Ilorin said were was strong links between architecture and culture as the scale and design of buildings in a country could showcase the culture of the country.

According to him, "In Nigeria, this nexus between architecture and culture, understood here in its geographic sense, is more obvious in the north of the country where your colleagues (architects) have successfully managed a hybrid of the new and old, leading to what I refer to as northern architecture".

Dr Ahmed advised the Nigerian Institute of Architects to always ensure that members comply with professional practices and rules to discourage sharp practices that could lead to building collapse and avoidable deaths.

"I also urge you to add your voice to the call for more stringent building controls as well as penalties for their infringement. This needless loss of lives, occasioned by poorly designed or constructed buildings must stop. I urge the NIA to be in the vanguard for this change", he said.

In a related development, Governor Ahmed has called on members of the National Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) to use the body's on-going 4th Quarter Council Meeting in Ilorin to come up with a road map for promoting trade, commerce, and people-focused growth.

Governor Ahmed noted that national quest for diversification of the economy through trade, agriculture and industrialization must be backed up with approaches that will hasten the realization of such objectives.

"Nigeria's quest for rapid and accelerated development and diversification of the economy through developing agriculture, trade and industrialization is already established. What we need, therefore, is a concrete, legally backed approach to this destination which sets out our key milestoned, resource requirements and critical success factors", the governor averred.