Tender call underway for ARCON Abuja, Lagos secretariat projects

With harmonisation well underway for 10 architectural designs for the proposed Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) headquarter building in the Federal Capital Territory and approval for the redevelopment of the Lagos office; tenders may soon be invited from building and civil engineering firms for the contracts.

The council has already received the Federal Government’s backing to commence the development of Abuja and refurbishment of Lagos offices. The Guardian learnt the council has also begun preparation of its procurement plans for the projects contract packages.

The council currently resides in a rented apartment in Abuja. However, the Council was allocated two plot of land at the Jahi District of the FCT in 1999 like other regulatory bodies in the built environment. The council, just like all other regulatory bodies, was affected by the activities of the land speculators.

The current council President, Sir Oladipupo Ajayi has successfully retrieved the land and launched moves to commence development. Ajayi told The Guardian that members of the council have made personal commitments in terms of monetary, material and moral contributions towards the immediate commencement development in Abuja.

He disclosed that the supervising Ministry is undertaking the renovation of the Lagos Office, which is a bungalow from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, inaugurated the current ARCON council two years ago in Abuja. Others inaugurated with Ajayi are Shamsuna Ahmed, vice president, Celestine Eze, treasurer and Umar Murnai, the registrar.
 
Although ARCON has been in existence since 1969, Ajayi, who had lamented the architects’ regulatory body inability to get an office of its own, promised to put machineries in place towards solving the age-long challenge.
 
The elated Ajayi, who said that, the dream was already coming true, revealed that ARCON had just received its recertification on the two landed property in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) allocated to it.

Appreciating the Minister of FCTA, Alhaji Muhammad Bello, Ajayi said the recertification could not have come at a better time than now.

The ARCON president also thanked Fashola, his counterpart, Abubakar Aliyu, an engineer, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr. Mohammed Bukar for ensuring quick approval to renovate its Lagos office. Ajayi said upon completion, both offices would be fully automated, befitting modern day architectural practice.

“The council was dubbed a council of change because we wanted to move architecture into the digitalised world. We have successfully put in place a portal that would serve the council better in this regard”, he said.