The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, has charged construction workers to advance policies that promote a thriving construction sector in Nigeria.

Mr Dingyadi made this call at the inauguration of the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association of Nigeria’s ultra-modern national secretariat building on Thursday in Kuje, Abuja.

He also urged the industry to prioritise sustainable building practices, invest in capacity development, and uphold the highest professionalism and safety standards.

Mr Dingyadi praised the association’s commitment to quality structures and preventing building collapses, adding that the engineering profession had made significant progress in minimising such incidents.

The president of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo, said there was a need to correct the impression that the construction engineers were responsible for the building collapse.

Mr Osifo said no building collapse had been linked to any registered engineer or construction company.

Mr Osifo condemned the casualisation of some construction workers to reduce costs, describing it as a national tragedy. He said this cut across all the various affiliates, and the unions were working to correct it.

Also speaking, the National President of CCESSA, Ayodeji Adeyemo, said the inauguration of the CCESSA  secretariat marked a new beginning and a beacon for construction and civil engineering excellence in Nigeria.

Mr Adeyemo said the new CCESSA  secretariat would be a hub for knowledge sharing, professional growth, and networking among members.

He called for unity and innovation to achieve excellence in the construction sector. He added that two books, ‘Ocupational Health and Safety with Guidelines in Excelling in Local and International Examinations’ and ‘Ocupational Health and Safety Simplified’, were also launched.

He said the books would help  share knowledge, best practices, and research in construction and civil engineering.

(NAN)