The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), FCT Chapter, has urged building professionals to stay informed about evolving government policies and tax reforms to remain competitive in the sector. Speaking at the institute's Annual General Meeting and Conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the NIOB Chairman, Mr John Zaki, said the event's theme—"Fiscal Policy and the Built Environment: Decoding the Tax Reform Act for Sustainable Construction and Housing Delivery"—was chosen to help builders understand current reforms. Zaki warned that lack of awareness could leave professionals unprepared and sidelined. He highlighted challenges including regulatory compliance, tax changes, sustainability, and technological shifts. Accountability for building collapses remains weak, particularly in the FCT, where no known cases have led to punishment for responsible parties. Zaki attributed this to widespread non-compliance and lax enforcement of building standards. He stressed that identifying and sanctioning those responsible for construction failures would deter malpractice and uphold legal standards. The institute, he noted, has advanced mentorship, advocacy, and partnerships with regulators and academic institutions. Knowledge transfer from experienced to younger professionals, he added, is vital for maintaining industry standards. The Executive Director of Projects at the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC), Atika Mamman, praised builders for their role in national development. Queen Philips, Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, FCT chapter, pointed to multiple taxation on materials, permits, and land as a major driver of high construction costs.
John Zaki's admission that no one has been punished for building collapses in the FCT lays bare a governance failure that goes beyond engineering—it is a crisis of consequence. When professionals in a regulated industry openly acknowledge systemic impunity, it signals that rules exist more on paper than in practice. The fact that the NIOB feels the need to host conferences to decode tax reforms suggests that policy communication from government is failing, leaving even experts scrambling to catch up.
The construction sector operates in a tangled web of unclear regulations, overlapping taxes, and weak enforcement—conditions that breed corner-cutting and endanger lives. Queen Philips' observation about multiple taxation isn't new, but it remains unresolved, inflating housing costs and locking ordinary Nigerians out of homeownership. Meanwhile, the absence of accountability for collapsed buildings emboldens unqualified practitioners and erodes public trust. Zaki's call for mentorship and professionalism rings hollow if the ecosystem rewards negligence more than competence.
For average Nigerians, especially low- and middle-income families, these failures translate into unaffordable, unsafe housing. Developers pass on tax burdens to buyers, while the risk of structural failure remains high due to unchecked practices. Young professionals entering the field inherit a system where compliance is optional and consequences rare.
This story reflects a broader pattern: Nigerian institutions constantly advise adaptation to reforms, but the state rarely reforms itself to meet its citizens halfway.
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