BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, NBRRI, has stated that the Digital Standards Platform was designed to reduce building collapse by helping users identify certified construction materials.
Director-General of Prof. Samson Duna who disclosed this over the weekend at the unveiling of the platform, hinted that investigations by the institute had consistently identified the use of substandard construction materials as one of the major causes of building collapse in the country.
The project, implemented through a partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and a private-sector partner- Goringo Concept Limited, demonstrated how PPPs could be deployed to improve public service delivery. It was also designed to support the implementation of the Federal Government’s ‘Nigeria First Policy.’
Duna maintained that the digital platform would enable builders, contractors and the public to verify whether construction materials met required standards before purchase and use.
He disclosed that reinforcing steel, one of the major materials used to reinforce concrete construction, has remained a concern as many products in the market failed to meet the approved standards.
“The platform will enable anyone intending to build to identify brands of construction materials that meet the required standards before putting them to use,” he added.
Duna was confident that increased awareness and easier verification of certified materials would improve compliance with quality standards and enhance safety in the construction sector.
Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, Dr Jobson Ewalefoh described the platform as a major Public-Private Partnership, PPP, initiative that would improve access to reliable information on certified Nigerian products.
He noted that the digital platform would enable users to verify the authenticity, origin and certification status of products before purchase.
Ewalefoh hinted that recent reforms by President Bola Tinubu, including the approval threshold for small-scale PPP projects, have simplified approval processes and empowered MDAs to execute similar initiatives without unnecessary delays.
He pointed out that the reforms had reduced entry barriers for private-sector participation and encouraged faster delivery of government projects, saying that the platform would help government save costs, improve quality assurance, promote Nigerian-made products and ensure that only standardised goods were procured with public funds.
He stated that effective compliance and enforcement would be critical to the success of the initiative.
Director-General of BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun assured that the platform will enhance confidence in Nigerian-made goods by ensuring that only certified and standardised products are procured with public funds.
He noted that it would promote quality, transparency and value for money in public procurement, as the government being the country’s largest buyer of goods and services, is mandated to ensure that products purchased by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, met approved quality standards.
With the digital platform, all MDAs will be required to verify suppliers and products before procurement to facilitate the purchase of only certified goods.
Adedokun said: “If they (MDAs) do not have the required identification and certification on the platform, no government agency should procure products from such suppliers.
He noted that the initiative would improve the quality of locally manufactured products, encourage compliance with national and international standards and strengthen public confidence in Nigerian goods.
The DG hinted that the platform would also promote fair pricing by reducing unjustified price disparities in government procurement, while ensuring that products delivered met expected quality and performance standards.
He said that the initiative was part of the phased implementation of the Nigeria First Policy, which had already covered the automobile and food sectors and is now being extended to product standardisation.
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