Nigeria stops foreigners from designing security projects

Our reporter

In a bid to further secure its territorial integrity, the Nigerian government says it will henceforth not allow foreign professionals to be engaged in the designing and execution of projects involving national security.

This was disclosed Thursday in Abuja by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola at the occasion of the 2019 Architects Colloquium which was put in place by the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

The minister was represented at the occasion by Mrs. Eucheria Alozie, Head of Power Public Private Partnership in the Ministry.

He said that government was now placing premium on the use of indigenous professionals and firms to execute projects where national security is at stake.

Accordingly, he said that foreign experts will only be engaged when their Nigerian counterparts are not available, adding even at that, Nigerian professionals will be assigned to understudy them.

Earlier in his welcome address, the President of ARCON, Dipo Ajayi, said the colloquium afforded the body opportunity to deliberate on issues affecting the nation and make robust contributions to Nigeria’s national development agenda.

He said that the council instituted the ARCON Project Registration Number System (APRN) to ensure that projects are thoroughly done by properly constituted teams of building professionals.

He also added that the Council will collaborate with all seven professions in the built environment.