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TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction2.

Who is Professor Kunle Ade Wahab

3. Purpose of his research and contributions4. Ways he contributed to the built environment5. Challenges identified in the built environment of Nigeria and their solutions6. Conclusion7. References

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INTRODUCTION

Building is one of mans most precious possessions. Not only does it offer him both

physical and psychological protection, it is a symbol of his conquest of the earth a

monument to his power and glory. The very word building summarizes the process and

substance by which the earth has been transformed from the primordial jungle into what it is

today, a living and ever-growing testimony of mans relentless quest to make the earth a more

comfortable place to live.

This research explains the contribution of Prof. Kunle Ade-Wahab to the built

environment, who in his relentless effort tried to create awareness that buildings are not mere

structures, but represent a statement of hope for the future. And since it is a response to

material and geographical necessities, religious beliefs, social systems and economic

conditions, a building is more than just shelter.

The built environment is certainly pervasive, but both the term and its reach and

implications are evasive, more comprehensive, and far reaching than most of us realize, even

though we live in it every day. It may be helpful, then, to start simply and define the built

environment by four interrelated characteristics. First, it is extensive; it is everywhere; it

provides the context for all human endeavors. More specifically, it is everything humanly

created, modified or constructed, humanly made, arranged, or maintained. Second, it is the

creation of human minds and the result of human purposes; it is intended to serve human

needs, wants, and values. Third, much of it is created to help us deal with and to protect us

from the overall environment, and to mediate or change this environment for our comfort and

well-being. Last, an obvious but often forgotten characteristic is that every component of the

built environment is defined and shaped by context; each and all of the individual elements

contribute either positively or negatively to the overall quality of environments both built and

natural and to human-environment relationships.

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WHO IS PROFESSOR KUNLE ADE WAHAB?

An icon most people would say. This unique personality, presently a Professor in the

Department of Building, Obafemi Awolowo University was given birth to on the 19

th

of April

1940 within the environs of Lagos, Nigeria. After completing his basic formal education, the

realisation of the building profession was a priority that ensured his surfing the world as a

means of achieving this goal.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Time and space was no hindrance to this icon. He had his Tertiary Education outside the

boundaries of his Nation. The educational institutions attended are as follows;

i) Leicester College of Technology (1961-1962)ii) Liverpool College of Building (1962-1965)iii) University of Liverpool (Post Graduate Diploma in Building Science, 1966-1967)iv) University of Birmingham (M.Sc Materials Engineering and Construction

Management, 1967-1968)

v) University of Reading (Ph.D Construction Management, 1975-1976).He also attained professional qualifications in the following Associations and Organization;

i) Past President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB)ii) Member of the Chartered Institute of Building, U.K (CIOB)iii) Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB)iv) Member of the Institution of Highway Engineers, U.K (IHE)v) Member of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS)vi) Member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE)vii) Member of the International Association of Housing Science (IAHS)viii) Hon. Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIVS)

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More so, other distinct qualifications include;

i) A registered Engineer with COREN (20.05.77)ii)

A registered Builder with CORBON (1990)

iii) A registered Quantity Surveyor with QSRBON (1990)WORK EXPERIENCE

Professor Kunle Ade Wahab work experiences stretches from within the university system to

the outside world.

Outside the university system, he worked as a;

- Building Surveyor and site Engineer with HIGGS & HILL Ltd., Widnes U.K (1965-1966)

- Civil Engineer on Housing Estates with George Wimpy & Co., Liverpool Region, U.K.

(1967)

- Senior Building and Civil Engineer on Substructure and Prefabricated Building Assembly

with C. Bryant & Co., Birmingham, U.K. (1968)

- Senior Civil Engineer on Office Building & Highway Construction M1-M16 Motorway

Link with John Laing Construction, Midlands, U.K. (1969)

Within the University, he was a;

- Lecturer in Materials and Construction, Department of Building Technology, University

of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. (1969-1971).

- Lecturer in the Department of Estate Management, Faculty of Environmental Design and

Management, Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun, Nigeria. (1971-1979)

- Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Design and Management. (1979 till date)

However, he secured position as the;

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- Acting Headship of Estate Management (1971-1972)

- Acting Headship of Enlarged Environmental Planning, Design and Management. (1976-

1982).

- Foundation Dean, Faculty of E.D.M (1982-1985)

- Acting Dean, Faculty of E.D.M (1985-1987)

- Dean, Faculty of Environmental Design and Management. (1987-1989)

- Chairman, Committee of Deans. (1987-1989); and

-Acting Director of Works (1979-1980)

PURPOSE OF HIS RESEARCHES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

The purpose of his researches and contributions is focused on the present state of the building

industry in Nigeria with a view to highlighting its problems and prospects, and also an

attempt to find solutions to the perennial problem of housing shortage in Nigeria.

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WAYS HE CONTRIBUTED TO THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Apart from his involvement in the production of qualified professional builders in Nigeria.

He has conducted series of research with a view to helping the nation to solve some of its

housing problems. In some of his study, he evaluated the following schemes.

The first Six Year Development Plan (1962-68) mentioned housing as part of industrial

estates, land acquisition and town planning. However, he further examined the role that

would have been played by the private sector by supplementing the governments effort after

implementing 500 units instead of the 61, 000 units needed.

The Second National Development Plan (1970-75) which indicated only marginal

improvements in the governments efforts to provide houses for civil servants and the general

public. And the Third Nation Development Plan (1975-80) which justifies the need for the

government to embark on large scale public housing schemes particular in the low income

groups.

The range of income distribution shown in the housing system is probably an indication of

what can be expected nationally, with this assumption; funds for housing can be allocated in

the proportion of 71.64%, 21.78% and 6.58% for the low, medium and high income groups

respectively. Thereafter, he suggested that housing can be provided for all, using any of the

following housing principles (Wahab, 1983).

If there is only one quality standard (principle one), the owner occupier should be allocated

space according to what he can afford. It is however prudent to adopt at least three difference

designs, one for each income group (principle two). For the two principles, each household

should be able to obtain a minimum of one room (two rooms is ideal) together with the usual

servicesa kitchen, a bathroom or showers and a toilet. The services can be shared among a

reasonable number of households. When these two principles are related to the prevailing

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minimum housing costs as much as 45.5% of the population could not be provided with

accommodation.

In order to accommodate them, a concept of percentage completeness (principle three) can be

adopted. This requires that houses under each of the three quality standards shall be

completed to a reasonable percentage to enable the householder occupy the unit, and

allocation of space should be made also according to what the household can afford. It is

obvious from the foregoing that both space standard (size of accommodation) and quality

standard (specification for materials) are the two major factors affecting house cost. There are

others, of course.

For the principles of percentage completeness to be of much benefit to the low income group

particularly, he argued is that this group would have to participate in either initial

construction and/or subsequent completion of their homes, through a housing co-operative

system. This system as a strategy fosters initiative, reduces costs and brings accommodation

much closer to the needy. The case for prospective owner- occupiers to participate in the

development of their own homes has been succinctly put in a previous article as follows:

- The role of the developing countrys government is to create a framework in whichpeople do things for themselves on a continuing basis according to their own needs

and priorities, and in such ways that local resources are mobilized from local needs.

- The rural sector is one where self help (community and individual) is feasible,effective and essential.

Happily the Lagos state government has provided accommodation that fits principle three

above: occupies of government houses have been allowed to improve their accommodation

since they move in. where self-help schemes are implemented, the staff and students of a

faculty such as ours could well have a role to play in providing technical advice.

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If these principles are adopted nationally, it would lead to an appreciable improvement in our

housing conditions, adding substantially to our housing stock. However, the successful

implementation of these principles would require an efficient construction industry which

Nigeria lacks at the moment. In different publications, he focused on the productivity of the

Nigerian construction industry, particularly as it relates to building materials and manpower

requirements to be. For example, Nigeria currently suffers from a scarcity of the main

building materials and has to rely on foreign importation. My studies have shown that the

productivity of Nigerian workers is much lower than that of their counterpart in the

developed countries. For example, the manpower requirement for housing project in the

USA, UK and Ireland are 1.53, 2.33 and 3.28 man days per square metre respectively and

Nigeria varies from 6.44 to 16.78 man-days (Wahab, 1983). This lower manpower

requirement in the developed countries can be attributed to better construction organization,

higher degree of supervision and the adoption of mechanical power as well as a fair amount

of prefabrication outside the building sites. The large variability in the performance of

Nigeria contractors is due to the form of construction, the size of contractors and the value of

contract. The other factor responsible for low productivity in the industry is the level of

education. In a 1975 study, I found that 19% of the operatives had no education, 36% did not

possess while 38% possessed Primary VI School Leaving Certificate; and only 7% had

qualification higher than Primary VI. The situation had improved significantly by 1981 as the

corresponding figures were 12%, 16%, 42% and 30% respectively.

Unfortunately the housing situation in the urban areas is not likely to improve if no positive

action is taken to stem migration from rural area, where between 70% and 80% of the

population still live. To achieve this it has been recommended that the government should not

only establish more industries in the rural areas, but should also provide essential amenities

such as adequate housing, rural electrification, adequate water supply hospitals and some of

the facilities enjoyed in the cities.

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His current research interests include the computerization of house costs which will give

opportunity for the potential home owner to complete a Multiple Input Home Ownership

Form. In this form, some options for quality of materials and amenities to suit to suit the type

of house he wants are matched with his affordable house cost to generate the house plan and

specification. I am also working on minimum house costs, project impact assessment and

apprenticeship system in the construction industry in Nigeria.

Conscious of the acute housing problems facing Nigeria, the University of Ife established a

Department of Estate Management in 1970. This department was upgrade to the Faculty

status and named faculty of Environmental Design and Management during the 1980/81

session. The main objectives of the Faculty are to produce trained professional in the various

fields of environmental design, construction and management. The following department and

units make up the Faculty.

a. Department of Architectureb. Department of Building Technologyc. Department of Quantity Surveyingd. Department of Estate Managemente. Department of Urban and Regional Planningf. Department project Design Unitg. Pilot Production and Construction Unith. Industrial Training Unit

At present, the Faculty has a teaching staff of 36 and a student population of 622. So far it

had produced about 185 graduates in estate management, building technology and quantity

surveying. Our first set of fully qualified architects will be produced at the end of the current

session. We expect to produce our first fully qualified town planners next session.

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In the development of its academic programme, the Faculty has been guided by the principle

that only an integrated disciplined in the physical environment can grapple with the problems

and rapid development of the building and construction industry. Since the professionals

produced here will have to work together for many years ahead, it is only prudent to train

them together for a while so that they can appreciate one anothers views and create mutual

understanding in solving what are after all human problems. In our teaching, we consider the

environment in its totality recognizing social behaviours and human values, in addition to

modern technology, as they affect the building industry. Apart from teaching, all members of

staff conduct research into various aspects of environmental design and management. Our

project Design Unit is expected to conduct theoretical and applied research into housing,

planning and other related fields, the Pilot Design Unit, so that they may have more practical

and wider applications. The intention here is to help develop local substitutes for imported

items. The Industrial Training Unit will coordinate the Facultys internship programmes, in

addition to organizing in service training courses for the construction industry. In addition to

our undergraduate courses, the faculty has post graduate programmes in the fields of

construction management, construction economics, building structures, building maintenance

management, architectural design, real estate appraisal, as well as urban and regional

planning. It is hoped that when the Faculty is fully developed, it would add a new dimension

to the solution of housing problems in Nigeria.

As a specialist in the building profession, the goal of his research was to find new ways of

producing reasonable forms of housing for as many Nigerians as possible. In an attempt to

find a solution to housing problems, he further went to definebuilding as an enclosed space

that is intended to be permanent or at least to last for a considerable time and big enough for

human habitation. A building must also be properly designed to satisfy functional

requirements, the most important of this being structural and dimensional stability, internal

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comfort, sound insulation, fire protection, weather exclusion, durability, lightening,

ventilation, safety and general privacy.

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CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF NIGERIA AND

THEIR SOLUTIONS

In his research on the present state of the building industry, he highlighted situations faced in

the country.

Wahab (1983) stated that the problems facing the Nigeria building industry cannot be fully

understood without some knowledge of its history, geographical and cultural background.

The greatest single impact can be traced back to the European colonisation of the country,

dating back to the early parts of the 20th century. Colonisation brought about new social and

economic forces (urbanisation) which led to the following problems:

1. Unprecedented urban migrationAs a result of urbanisation, the traditional family unit became disbanded, causing many

members of the family to come into big cities in search of jobs which led to congestion in

cities, as the cities invited more adventures than it can accommodate; and this resulted in

the following:

i. High rentii. Population congestion.

iii. Poor sanitary conditioniv. Poor shelterv. Juvenile delinquencies

vi. Environmental pollutionvii. Traffic congestion

viii. Social vices, etc

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2. Shortage of building professionalsThe construction industry provides the infrastructure which is fundamental to the ongoing

development of the country, its activities affects everyones lives in one way or the other.

Right at the top of the list of governments development priorities is the provision of

infrastructures, designed to bring relief to people through job creation, linkages to

markets, assets that promote economic business development in an integrated and

coherent fashion.

Declining investment and demand volatility has left the industrys skills base depleted as

experienced people leave the industry in times of depressed construction while

unpredictable and poor career prospects discourage new entrants. Firms, faced with

declining markets and tighter margins, have cut back on the education and training of

staff. While the government seems totally oblivious of the importance of education in her

scale of priorities, institutional mechanisms for supplying training to the industry have

come under strain as the educational infrastructure is neglected, overstretched and not

conformed with societal needs.

3. Incompetent and corrupt building contractorsOne unfortunate aspect of the building industry in Nigeria is the existence among

indigenous builders of fake professionals, or so-called Alhaja contractors (Wahab,

1983). They are usually unqualified individuals often encouraged by their government

officials for the purpose of receiving kick-backs. This has led to inflated estimates,

shoddy jobs and consequently, waste of public funds.

4. Short-sighted and extravagant housing policiesThe efforts of the government to provide adequate accommodation in the urban area have

been thwarted by the short-sighted policy of providing expensive housing for individuals

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who cannot sustain such a venture. Thus, only a few houses get built out of the meagre

resources available.

5.

Adoption of inappropriate technology

Most of the various resettlement schemes of the government have left much to be desired

because of inadequate feasibility studies. A typical example is the Kainji resettlement

scheme where the government commissioned the project to be handled by a foreign

company. The prefabricated structures which emerged failed to respond to the climate of

the area. The houses were too hot for human comfort which led to the farmer sleeping

outside and converting the houses to shelter their cattle.

6. High cost of building materialsAs a result of urbanisation and more sophisticated building and housing project the

traditional materials were no longer required. Foreign materials were in short supply but in

high demand which caused inflation in the purchase of building materials.

7. OvercrowdingThe problem of overcrowding in our cities has become a nightmare to planners. An

example is in Ajegunle area of Lagos where as many as eight people occupy a single

substandard room. A curtain is normally used to demarcate a sleeping portion of the room

from the living portion.

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SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS

After highlighting and discussing the problems of the building industry in Nigeria, possible

solutions to combat these problems presented and are discussed below:

1. Enactment of special housing laws: to combat the problem of overcrowding in thecities, the government should enact laws specifying the number who can occupy or

sleep in a given dimension of residential space.

2. Creation of social amenities and industries in rural areas: to check the drift ofrural to urban migration, more industries and essential social amenities such as

schools, rural electrification, roads, and hospitals should be provided to service the

rural areas. Satellite towns should be created to ease the burdens on the cities.

3. The establishment of professional builders registration council in Nigeria: thiswould be an association of highly skilled and competent builders. Establishment of

such association would help in reducing incompetent and corrupt professional and

contractors to a minimum. This would further ensure high standard of practice and

moral conduct in the building industry.

4. Government investment in professional training: to combat the shortage of well-trained building professionals, the government should invest more in the training of

professionals such as builders, town planners, architects, quantity surveyors, etc, at

every level.

5. Participation of indigenous builders in major projects: the need to entrust majorprojects to indigenous builders cannot be overemphasised because of the implication

on our national security and survival. Only knowledgeable and dedicated foreigners

should be employed and only in the area of man-powering training and development.

6. Availability of building professional in universities: there is an urgent need toharness the expertise of building professionals in our universities for purposeful

consultation at the state and national level. This will help the nation safe considerable

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amount of foreign exchange currently expended foreigners and to also turn academics

into a lucrative practice.

7. Reviewing of existing building and housing policies: the existing governmenthousing and building policies should be reviewed and streamlined. The government

cannot provide adequate housing for all as a result of insufficient fund and also given

the numerous other essential facilities which the government has to provide on a large

scale.

8. Indirect government involvement in mass housing construction: the federal andthe state government should not involve themselves directly with mass housing

construction projects. It is better handled by the local authority since it is closest to the

people and understands their cultural needs. The federal government should

contribute more to the establishment of the local factories producing building

materials.

CONCLUSION

By and large, and as would have been obvious by now, building is one of mans most

precious possession. Not only does it offer him physical psychological protection, it is a

symbol of his (mans) conquest to earth, a monument to his glory and power. The struggle

for a better place to live in with security, comfort, and access to essential amenities on an

even keel in hope of meeting future needs without settling for less, since housing is more

than shelter and building activities are more than the development of houses.

(Wahab,1983)

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REFERENCE

Wahab, K. A. (1992). Improving Productivity in the Construction Industry through Human

Resources Development.

Wahab, K. A. (1992). Improving Productivity in the Construction Industry through Human

Resources Development. Paper presented at the International Seminar onConstruction Site Management TrainingThe Way Forward, organized by the

European Community and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Lagos,

November.