Environment Minister charges architects on environmentally-friendly building designs

The Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has charged Nigerian architects to be conscious of the health and safety of the environment when designing buildings. 

The Minister made this call on Wednesday when he received a team from the Nigerian Institute of Architects led by Arc. Mobolaji A. Adeniyi. They were in the Environment Ministry to discuss areas of collaboration with the Federal Government in addressing environmental challenges, especially in mitigating the impact of climate change.

He invited the guests to join environment safety advocacy by encouraging their members to turn down projects that hold harmful prospects for the environment especially proposed structures that are intended to go on waterways, green areas and flood lanes.

“There is a close relationship between architecture and environment. What you do, in many ways, affects our environment that is why it is important for us to work together so that whatever you design is environmentally friendly. 

“Your association has a lot to do in keeping our environment healthy. Flooding sometimes is not unrelated to the fact that flood lanes are being blocked. 

“So I want us to have this collaboration. Environment is the gateway to health. If we destroy this environment, we have no other,” the Minister said.