REVEALED: THE (MESSY) ROOT OF THE NIA, ARCON REGISTRATION SAGA

In this revealing report published 2 days ago by The New Diplomat, the root of the on-going saga between the NIA (Nigerian Institute of Architects) and ARCON (Architects Registration Council of Nigeria) over which body is qualified to carry out pre-registration evaluation for Architects in the country, is thrown into the spotlight.

A private investigation by the online newspaper, reveals that the registration saga has been in the cooler for a while now, until a recent directive advertised in the Guardian Newspaper of Monday June 5, 2017, page 46 by ARCON asked Architects seeking license to practice as registered Architects in Nigeria to apply for a certain Architects Competence Programme (ACP 1.0), a directive seen by the NIA, as an affront and encroachment on its statutory functions and responsibilities as the body saddled with the evaluation of Architects in the country as part of registration and licensing process. ARCON also relaxed certain provisions like recommendation by licensed Architects which is a prerequisite in the registration of incoming Architects.

In a rejoinder issued by the NIA and published in the Guardian Newspaper of Thursday June 8, 2017, the NIA kicked at ARCON’s disregard of the Architects Registration Act CAP A19 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,(which stipulates the roles to be played by both the Institute and the Council (ARCON) on matters pertaining to registration of Architects.) citing it as “mischievous, misleading and an Illegal act”.

Sources of the newspaper also alleged that the brewing crisis has its deep root in the staunch determination by the NIA Executives to get the Institute off the hook of ARCON’s overbearing influence which dates back to several years. Other sources attribute reasons for the crisis to the over-reaching influence of the current President of ARCON, Arc. Umaru Aliyu who has refused to step down for the past 12 years, and has continued to throw the NIA into chaos with his alleged of usurping their stipulated powers.

“He has been serving as the ARCON President for the past 12 years. Ordinarily, he shouldn’t have spent more than 3 years according to the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Chapter A19, but he has been maneuvering his way back into the system for years. And even though, he’s going to extend his tenure, he will need to tender a letter from the Honorable Minister overseeing the Ministry of Works and Housing to that effect, but since that time, we have not seen any letter from him and he has perfected his ways through about 6 Ministers that have served in that Ministry without being called to order. He has continued to hold on to that position with sheer impunity. This same man has been in the Admissions Committee and Education Board of the institute (NIA) for more than 2 decades, but when the current NIA administration dropped him from the Committees, he retaliated by failing to allow ARCON register all those who sat for the September 2016 NIAPPE and March 2017  NIAPPE, claiming he does not recognize the NIA Education Board and that it was not properly constituted, despite being a member of the same board before now; and he is a current member of the NIA Council who was present at the meetings where the Education Board was constituted and reports on proceedings of examinations were presented and approved”

Read the full and very detailed article on The New Diplomat