The history of the construction industry worldwide is full of projects that were completed with significant time and cost overruns. In an attempt to reverse this trend, this study aims at establishing the relationship between time overrun and labour productivity on construction sites in Lagos, Nigeria. 43 technical and management staff of some medium and large construction firms based in Lagos, Nigeria were sampled and administered a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire contained 18 causes of project time overrun and 14 causes of low labour productivity which had been identified from the literature reviewed. With these a relationship between project time overrun and low labour productivity was established. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the data. Results indicate that inadequate funds for the project, inadequate planning before project takeoff, inadequate tools and equipment and delay in delivery of material top the list of major causes of time overrun while the use of wrong construction methods, inadequate construction materials and inaccurate drawing/specification are the key factors causing low labour productivity on construction sites. Significant negative relationship was found between time overrun and labour productivity in construction sites in Nigeria. The study concludes by recommending that early appointment of project managers could ensure proper management of both the human and material resources that could guarantee improved productivity and ultimately save projects from time overrun.

Following the growing consensus within and outside the Nigerian construction industry that corruption and other unethical practices are endemic in the industry, coupled with scarce empirical study on professional ethics in the industry, there is a need to examine the perceptions of the professionals regarding ethical issues. This study therefore assesses the perceptions of construction professionals regarding ethical issues in the Nigerian construction industry. One hundred and ninety two professionals were sampled from 108 construction organizations comprising 55 consultancy organizations, 35 contracting organizations, and 18 client organizations in selected Nigerian major cities. A survey research design was employed. Descriptive statistics were used in analyzing the data. The results indicate that there is a decline in unethical practices within the industry compared to the pre-1999 era. The more common form of bribery is financial. Quantity surveyors were perceived as the most susceptible to bribery among the professionals in the industry. The builder/ construction manager faces the greatest pressure to act unethically among the professionals in the construction industry. The study recommends that professional institutions should give more priority consideration to ethical discourse at technical sessions, public lectures, and seminars. Furthermore, project financiers should ensure adequate and prompt remuneration for professional services. Since the quantity surveyors are perceived as the most susceptible to bribery, clients should ensure that their discretionary powers in the procurement of building projects are limited or subjected to third party verification. Finally, additional research is needed to explore the types of measures that might help curb professionals' unethical practices in Nigeria.

Improvement of human resource management is critical to overall productivity and cost effectiveness in the construction industry. This study assesses the current human resource management practices in the Nigeria construction organisation and the challenges confronting it. Questionnaire survey was adopted using purposive sampling technique. Ninety eight human resource managers and construction professionals in two categories of construction organisations (client organisations involved in real estate development and contractor organisations) were sampled. The results reveal that prevailing recruitment practices are placement of the right staff in the right department for the achievement of company general goals, and screening of candidates for vacant positions. Most common training and development practices involve inducting, orienting and training newly recruited employee on software and use of tools, and assigning staff based on their skill and expertise.Provision of appropriate/modern working tools and equipment and provision of incentives and benefits to staff are prevailing motivation and labour union practices. The study further identified:competition for global mobile talents, labour turnover, recruiting the right person for a specific position, wages and compensation as some of the challenges facing HRM practice in Nigeria.The study concludes that recruitment and selection practices in the construction organisation are distinctly different from those of the manufacturing and banking industry and it centres on selection of skilled and technically competent personnel for organisation’s general goal.   The study recommends that future study should  assess the impact of the identified human resource practices on productivity and project performance.

In Nigeria's labour intensive construction industry, ways of motivating workers to ensure high productivity and enhanced job performance are regarded as important factors for long-term survival of firms. Financial motivation is adjudged a lower level motivator and should not be treated as a prime motivator by many authors. This study investigates the effectiveness of non-financial motivational schemes employed by construction firms within the Lagos metropolis. A survey research design was adopted. The survey instrument comprises two sets of close ended questionnaires administered to skilled and semi-skilled workers and the management staff. The findings of the study reveal that the most effective non-financial motivation to skilled and semi-skilled workers include provision of personal protective equipment, love and belongingness, leadership by example, free transportation and free medical facilities. The most effective non-financial motivation to management staff include provision of residential accommodation, company car with free fuel allocation, pension scheme and opportunity to do something that gives a sense of self-esteem. The value of this study for national development is in view of the slow response of the construction industry of developing countries to mechanization of construction operation, which leaves them with large workforce, necessitating the need to adopt an effective means of motivation to enhance productivity.

The high cost and environmental and health hazards attributed to conventional building materials, coupled with the adverse effect of massive exploitation of forest resources for construction purposes, have necessitated the search for alternative construction materials that are eco-friendly, sustainable, economical and socially acceptable. This study aims to explore the acceptability and use of innovative bamboo products for residential building construction in Nigeria. One hundred and fifty-two survey questionnaires were distributed to built environment professionals within the Lagos region using the convenience sampling technique. The results show a likely disposition to the use of innovative bamboo products for building construction, except for roof beams and trusses, wall beams and columns, and composite roofing sheets. Major barriers to the acceptability and use of bamboo for construction include lack of knowledge about bamboo connections and detailing; the absence of governmental policy on bamboo as an alternative construction material; the absence of design standards for bamboo products; and poor public perception of the use of bamboo in building construction. The value of this study is that it provides an excellent platform for further research on the optimization of bamboo for construction, which will boost economic activities, reduce capital flight for the importation of machinery and the constituents of conventional building materials, and enhance the country's GDP.