Richard Elesho
The President of the Nigerian Institute of Landscape Horticulturists, Dr. Emmanuel Abimbola Bankole, has blamed the absence of synergy among professionals in the construction industry as a major cause of frequent building collapses with attendant fatalities in the country.
Bankole made this known on Tuesday in Lokoja at the 18th National Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Landscape Horticulturists. He recommended an urgent need for collaboration among engineers, architects, town planners, and landscape horticulturists to reverse the ugly trend.
He said the Nigerian Institute of Landscape Horticulturists (NILH), as the focal point and umbrella body for landscape horticulture practitioners in Nigeria, was founded in 1989 with, among other objectives, the aim of promoting, enhancing, and standardizing professional practice among practitioners for quality service delivery.
The theme of the conference is “Designing for Sustainability and Resilience: Intersection of Horticultural Landscaping and Urban Planning.” Bankole emphasized the importance of working together.
“In our country today, the sight of uncoordinated developments and slums has become a common feature of our cities and towns, with attendant challenges of insecurity, poor hygiene and sanitation, avoidable accidents, and communal crises, to mention just a few.
“It has become imperative, therefore, for all professionals in the built environment—especially landscape horticulturists, architects, and town planners—to collaborate and complement one another in order to create beautiful, healthy, and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods.
“The lack of adequate synergy among professionals in the built industry has come at a huge cost to the country, in the form of collapsed public utilities, abandoned projects, and non-functional public facilities.
“Most of our cities and towns in the country today are in dire need of urban renewal to meet the dictates of the 21st century in terms of housing, road networks, provision of amenities, and other essential infrastructure. In this regard, a lot will be expected from us as professionals, hence the need for collaboration and synergy.
“I have no doubt in the capacity of our keynote speaker, Prof. Mohammed Isa Bala, a seasoned academic and architect, to do justice to the theme of this conference,” he added.
During the conference, new members from across the country will be formally inducted, along with chairmen of state and zonal chapters. Distinguished Service Awards and Honorary Fellowships of the Institute will also be conferred on some notable Nigerians for their support of the professional practice of landscape horticulture, human capacity development, and environmental protection initiatives. This recognition is aimed at spurring them to further support and collaboration in the days ahead.
Earlier, while declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, and chief host of the conference, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, said there could be no better setting for a gathering of experts, researchers, and practitioners in the noble fields of horticulture and environmental design than a conference dedicated to nature’s sustainability and resilience.
“It calls attention to a subject that is central to the future of our planet—the need to build and sustain human settlements that work in harmony with nature, not in conflict with it.
“As our nation and the world continue to contend with the challenges of climate change, deforestation, flooding, and environmental degradation, the responsibility lies on all of us, particularly experts like you,” he said.
Leave a Reply