By Disun Amosun
Stakeholders at the close of a Local Construction Contractors Summit in Abuja, Monday resolved to facilitate meaningful connections and networking opportunities between local contractors, government agencies and financial partners to foster business growth and development.
This is with a view to promoting strategies that ensure local contractors gain more access to government contracts, reinforce local content and contribute to national growth.
The Stakeholders made up representatives of local Construction contractors, regulators and professional bodies in the industry, financial institutions, investors and the National Assembly Joint Committee on Works, in conjunction with Optimum Horizon Limited – organisers of the summit, fell short of calling for a government support fund for local Construction contractors, harping on the need for them to access more financial facilities to Carter for contract financing and equipment procurement
Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Works Rep Akin Alabi in a keynote address noted that if local content in the construction industry is to be achieved, private/public finances in contractors’ finances must be stepped up to make them operate at par with their foreign counterparts.
He said Nigeria with its diverse landscape needs competitive local contractors, versed in love cal content to help unlock and develop it to expect world best practices standard.
Contributing to the Summit, the President, and Association of Consulting Engineers of Nigeria ACEN, Engr. Kam-Sakem Alhaji Bukar noted the summit could not have been berthed at a better time than now considering the infrastructure and technology deficiency local community contractors experience against foreign ones.
He submitted that when it gets down to the brass-tags, foreign construction firms are not necessarily more efficient than their local counterparts, but enjoy more patronage and encouragement from those awarding government contracts due to erroneous belief.
During a group discussion by representatives of the local contractors on their experiences and challenges in the industry, they called for the classification and streamlining of job profiles in giving out construction contracts.
“In giving out government contracts, MDAs should be conscious of specification of a construction company, its area of purview, whether civil, environmental, Oil and gas and desist from giving out contracts to a ‘One company fits all’s. Similarly, the size and financial capability of a company should be considered in giving out contracts so as not to muscle out local contractors in government contract awards”, one of the discussants submitted.
The contractors, who know where the shoe pinches, made a strong case for an efficient Research and Development component in the construction industry to up its operational ante.
In thanking Stakeholders for their contributions to the summit, House Committee Chairman Rep Akin Alabi assured that their contributions will reflect in the Committee’s final report of the House in session.
He however said in the consideration of more access to facilities for local contractors, the industry would not condone indolence, negligence, corruption and cutting corners by local contractors in project execution, warning that punishment and enforcement would form part of recommendations for erring contractors responsible for construction collapse through negligence.