Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
President, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Mr. Sani Saulawa, has said Nigeria’s complex challenges in housing, infrastructure, urbanisation, economic transformation, climate resilience and institutional capacity require more than technical competence.
Rather, he said it requires organised professional knowledge and ethics that are capable of influencing policy and shaping outcomes of the nation’s development.
Saulawa stated this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Thursday during the 7th Distinguished Lecture Series, DLS 7.0 organised by the Kwara State chapter of the NIA.
The title of the lecture was, ‘Professional Bodies and National Growth and Development – Perspectives and Reflections of an Architect’ and delivered by a former president of the NIA, Mr. Mohammed Jimoh Faworaja.
Saulawa stated: “Professional bodies must therefore ask themselves difficult questions. Are we merely regulating membership and protecting professional boundaries, or are we actively contributing to national progress?
“Are we sufficiently present where policies are conceived, investments structured and development priorities determined?
“These questions are particularly important. Our future relevance will depend not simply on our capacity to design, but on our ability to demonstrate how architectural knowledge creates economic, social, environmental and institutional value.
“This is what makes today’s lecture important. It invites us to examine not only what professional bodies have been, but what Nigeria now requires them to become.
“That imperative extends to our professional institutions. Nigeria’s complex challenges –housing, infrastructure, urbanisation, economic transformation, climate resilience and institutional capacity — require more than technical competence.
“They require organised professional knowledge capable of influencing policy and shaping outcomes.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Musa Sada, said: “Nigeria faces significant challenges in housing, infrastructure, urbanisation, sustainability, climate resilience, planning and construction quality.
“These challenges demand the collective intelligence of professionals, government, academia and industry.
“We must continue to demonstrate that architecture is not a luxury, but an essential instrument of human development, social well-being, economic productivity and national identity.”
He added: “Today’s gathering is more than a lecture. It is a celebration of knowledge, professional excellence, institutional continuity and the enduring intellectual tradition of the Nigerian Institute of Architects.
“Over the years, the Distinguished Lecture Series has provided a vital platform for eminent architects and thinkers to interrogate the challenges facing our profession, our built environment and our nation.
“The seventh edition is a testimony to the commitment of successive readerships of the institute to sustaining a culture of intellectual engagement and professional reflection”.
Earlier in his lecture, NIA’s former president, Faworaja, said: “At 66 years of independence, Nigeria faces a defining paradox: we have recorded economic growth, but we have not achieved human development.
“Our housing deficit stands at 22 million units. Health, education, and infrastructure remain in crisis. Budgets are passed, but results are not seen on the ground.”
According to him, “From the perspective of an architect and through the reflections of 66 years of NIA, this lecture argues that the missing link in Nigeria’s development equation is the institutional role of professional bodies.
“Globally, nations that developed put bodies like RIBA, AIA, JIA and SIA at the centre of policy. They set standards, regulate practice, advise government and enforce ethics.
“They are the bridge that converts government money into public results. Where professional bodies are weak, the cost is measured in collapsed buildings, financial crimes, brain drain, and lost lives.
“In Nigeria, bodies like NIA, NSE, MDCN, NBA, ICAN and APBN have delivered landmark contributions. Yet our collective impact is limited by government neglect, political interference, quackery and weak internal governance.”
The lecturer however said: “Government must recognize professional bodies as legal partners in policy. In return, professional bodies must reform internally and speak with one voice through APBN.
“Countries do not develop because they have money. They develop because they have institutions that convert money into results. That institution is the professional body.
“For Nigeria to move from growth to development, we must put our house in order. Competence must come before politics.”
The state Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi, in his remarks at the event stated that: “Professional bodies are pillars of national development and they provide standards, expertise, ethical guidance and informed contributions to public policy.
“For architects in particular, this responsibility carries added weight, because the work of the profession is directly reflected in the physical environment in which our people live, work and interact.
“Here in Kwara, as we continue to witness infrastructural and urban transformation, the contribution of architects and other built-environment professionals has never been more critical.
“From roads and public buildings to educational and healthcare facilities, from urban infrastructure to other government projects, our goal is clear: to build a Kwara that is not only functional, but also well-planned, aesthetically pleasing and befitting of our people.
“We must therefore deepen collaboration between government and professional institutions.
“Professional bodies must remain active partners in development — not only by regulating their professions, but also by offering ideas, expertise, and constructive engagement in governance.
“I particularly commend the Nigerian Institute of Architects for using this lecture series to reflect on the profession’s contribution to national growth.”