TOWARDS ensuring the reduction of incessant building collapse in Lagos State, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development is seeking a collaboration with the artisans, under the aegis of the Association of Building Artisans of Nigeria (ASBAN) to provide safer building.The Commissioner, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, a town planner,made this known last week when the group's leadership paid him a courtesy visit. He stated that with the determination of the association at producing well trained and qualified artisans who should possess nothing less than five years experience, the issue of collapse building in Lagos would have been reduced to the barest minimum.According to Ayinde, emphasis should be placed on value delivery, which the public needs to place premium. 'There is need to place premium on delivery of quality construction jobs as against inferior ones to achieve an optimal level of efficiency and safety in system of construction', he counselled.He further stated that the public should be well-educated on employing the services of qualified and certified artisans during construction and renovation of buildings as any defect noticed can easily be traced to such artisan while proper complaint can be lodged with the registered association.The commissioner also reiterated the need for the older and more experienced artisans in the association to impact positive work attitude on the younger ones in the course of project execution. Also, he said there is need to take a pain-staking approach and not a 'microwave' system while embarking on the construction and rehabilitation of projects.In his remarks, ASBAN Chairman, Mr. Segun Olutade, noted that there is a need for the association to collaborate with the ministry and other related agencies to ensure the goal through training and re-training of artisans in the built environment with the aim of determining the possibilities of reducing building collapse in Lagos State.He revealed that the association is registered with about 300,000 members, which is comprised of various trades such as iron-benders, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, block-makers, sand suppliers and plumbers among others.Olutade noted that the association is ready to update itself by training and re-orientating its members in the aspect of rebranding their outward comportment while on site, against the conventional method of wearing tattered clothing on site.He said that branded overall uniforms with safety helmet and boots will now be the hallmark of each profession with a valid membership identity card, adding that with this new idea of identification and re-orientation on project site, artisans will be willing to deliver standard jobs to their clients since their names and reputation of their professions were at stake.
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