The Architects Registration Council of Nigeria has announced that all departments of architecture in Nigerian universities will soon be upgraded to stand-alone faculties.

This was disclosed in a statement by ARCON president, Oladipupo Ajayi, to mark the licensure ceremony of 141 architects, 14 architectural technologists and 22 architectural firms in Abuja.

Ajayi said the organisation had been working to increase the number of Nigerian architects as well as enhance the study of architecture in Nigeria and beyond.

He said the management had received the National Universities Commission’s go-ahead to upgrade all departments of architecture in Nigerian tertiary institutions to faculties and was putting finishing touches to a proposed new curriculum currently being worked on by seasoned scholars and professors.

Ajayi urged the inductees to define their pursuits and carefully choose a path of career in architecture, adding that no architect in Nigeria should be poor for whatever reason.

“We are the leaders of the industry. Do things that will make your client ask for more service. Have a dream for yourself and passionately pursue your vision. Avoid distractions and be focused,” he counseled.

ARCON vice president, Shamsuna Ahmed, called on Nigerian architects to diversify in order to attain success.

“There is a need for Nigerian architects, especially the upcoming ones, to be ahead in diversification. To do this successfully, you need to develop entrepreneurial spirit,” he said.

Nothing wrong in NUC approving 20 universities at once, there are opportunities for varsities to tap –Caleb University VC, Owens-Ibie Registrar, Umar Murnai, enjoined architects to get the Architects Projects’ Registration Number, saying that it would boost quality of their professional services and protect the field of architecture, which has been infiltrated by quacks.

He said that while APRN was in full force in Abuja, ARCON had opened talks with Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano and others, adding that he was hopeful that the initiative would soon be in force in other states.

Murnai said, “In Abuja, you can’t do any building project without APRN. We are opening new frontiers on the initiative in other states and we are hopeful that, very soon, more states will adopt APRN.

“APRN is also to eliminate quackery and erosion of standard of architectural practice. So, we all have to be the vanguard of this initiative.”

Former Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State Chapter, Ladi Lewis, urged the inductees to, at all times, keep to the profession’s code of ethics.