NAN-HE-5
Right
By Lilian Chukwu
Lagos, July 4, 2017 (NAN) Mr Tonye Oliver, President of the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), on Tuesday emphasised that the Institute had the statutory right to conduct the Professional Practice Competence Examination for Architects nationwide.
Oliver told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the right was conferred on the institute by the Architects Registration Act CAP A19 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
He spoke following the long-drawn battle between the NIA and the Architect Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) over the conduct of the examination.
According to him, the Architects Registration Act stipulates the roles to be played by both the Institute and the ARCON on matters pertaining to registration of Architects.
He said that the Act stipulates that NIA has the responsibility to register applicants and conduct the examination, while ARCON’s function is the license the successful candidates.
Oliver said that ARCON’s directives for Architects seeking licence to practice as registered Architects to apply for the examination was, to the Institute, an affront and encroachment on its statutory responsibilities.
‘’According to Section 7 (Registration of Architects), Sub-section 5c of the Law, a person shall be registered if he satisfies the Council (ARCON) that he (applicant) has passed the Professional Practice Competence Examination conducted by the Institute (NIA).
“So, ARCON coming up now to start registering and conducting examination is unconstitutional and an encroachment on NIA’s statutory responsibilities as the body saddled with the evaluation of Architects in the country,” he said.
Oliver noted that the NIA had been conducting the Competence Examination for the past 73 years since inception of the institute.
He said that he was not aware of an amendment or addendum to the Act that allows ARCON to conduct the examination.
The NIA president, therefore, urged would-be professional Architects in the country to continue to apply for registration through the NIA.
Meanwhile, efforts to get reactions of the ARCON’s President to the issue proved abortive as he did not respond to several phone calls.
Construction experts have continued to call for the resolution of contentious issues between both bodies to remove barriers to the government’s bid to reduce housing and infrastructural deficit in the country. (NAN)
LUC/SOA
Edited by Oluwole Sogunle