Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has solicited collaboration between the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and tertiary institutions offering architecture as a course of study in Ogun State.
He said that such collaboration would help the state immensely in terms of research into how to build more sustainable and affordable housing units.
The governor also challenged the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) to design a competition that would inspire architecture students in the country to sharpen their skills and come up with masterpieces for the development of the country.
Governor Abiodun spoke on Tuesday when he played host to the President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Muyiwa Oki, in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Mr Oki is a Nigerian-born British architect who, in September 2023, emerged as the 80th President of RIBA thus becoming the youngest and first black president at the age of 32.
The governor, who described Mr Oki’s feat as uncommon, having defied all odds to become the first black man to lead the institute, urged him to ensure the facilitation of such collaboration in such areas as research and development.
“We believe that through your office, you should support your home state (Ogun State). We have in some of our tertiary institutions, Departments of Architecture, and I believe that a collaboration with you and your office in terms of research into how to build more sustainable and affordable housing units will go a long way,” the governor said.
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Mr Abiodun disclosed that his administration had constructed about 3,500 affordable houses at Kobape, a suburb of Abeokuta and turned the area into a bubbling town, noting that similar projects had been executed in Sagamu, Ota, Ilaro and Ijebu-Ode.
“We have done this believing that beyond making people landlords, the entire value chain and ecosystem would also benefit.
“Aside from the beautiful architecture that designs our sustainable and affordable housing, the workers – artisans, bricklayers, carpenters, and painters, among others, also got jobs,” he said.
The governor noted that his administration was embarking on state-wide city renewal through the Urban Renewal and Rejuvenation Process across the state, beginning with the old Abeokuta housing scheme.
He disclosed that new and more sustainable housing projects were being put in place, in conjunction with the United Kingdom Development Office.
While commending Mr Oki for making the state and country proud, Mr Abiodun said the state considered Mr Oki’s elevation as something it could benefit from.
Earlier in his remarks, Mr Oki commended Mr Abiodun for giving him an audience, even as he said that he has lined up three areas of interest to address as the president of the institute.
Mr Oki stated that he would use his new office to promote the importance of architecture as a profession that plays a major role in the lives of the people.
He also intends to address the challenges created by climate change and promote unity in diversity, being the first black man to attain such a position in the history of the institute.
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