Nigerian, Australian Builders Sign MoU on Improving Method, Technic of Construction

Bennett Oghifo

The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with its counterpart in Australian to collaborate in effort to improve on the methodology and technology of building construction.

The memorandum, signed with the Australian Institute of Building (AIB) in Sydney, Australia, recently is aimed at making the NIOB and AIB have a shared commitment to become a stronger professional institute and educator within the building construction industry, said a statement by the National President of NIOB, Kunle Awobodu.

The MoU, he said was signed during a construction event, ‘Constructing Our World’, jointly organised in Sydney by the New-Zealand Institute of Building, Australian Institute of Building and Singapore Institute of Building, recently.

According to the National President of AIB, Mr. David Burnell, AIB and NIOB will work together to raise the level of professionalism in the building construction industry and education in Australia and Nigeria.

Looking at this development from an optimistic perspective, Awobodu explained that the collaboration among members of the two institutes would promote research in the field of construction and also encourage greater participation of members in jointly organised construction events for valuable Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

He said the two parties have also agreed to exchange information relevant to the development of the building construction management profession in Australia and Nigeria in order to facilitate an understanding of each other’s work.

As NIOB takes a giant step into global activities, expanding the scope of its construction knowledge and skills to overseas, establishing opportunities for academic and training exchange programmes, Awobodu has hinted that there were ongoing discussions on collaboration with the New-Zealand Institute of Building and Singapore Institute of Building to create a multilateralism for greater collective drive to technologically shaped construction products.

In his goodwill message to the Nigerian Institute of Building on the ‘Constructing Our World’ event, the High Commissioner of Nigeria in Australia, Ambassador Bello Kazaure Husseini hoped that the bilateral relationship would advance construction innovations in Nigeria.

Recounting his experience after a tour of building construction sites in Australia, the Vice Chairman of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Dr. Samson Opaluwah commended the compliance with standards, which, of course, CORBON would not relent at promoting in Nigeria. The former General Secretary of NIOB, Mr. Fadil Elegbede expressed his satisfaction on the new value the Sydney event has contributed to the construction knowledge of NIOB members, taking into consideration cultural differences.

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