With the increasing rate of building collapses in Nigeria, Stakeholders in the building sectors have advocated for compliance to standards in the course of carrying out building projects.
The call was made at a Seminar organized by the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute in Abuja Nigeria’s capital, with the theme “Review of Building Collapse in Nigeria, A Critical Outlook and The Way Forward”.
The event which brought together researchers, academicians and other stakeholders to brainstorm on the causes and effects of building collapse aimed at finding definite and implementable resolutions.
In his remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of Science, technology and Innovation, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, said constant sensitization of the public will help reduce cases of building collapse in the country.
“The painful destruction of personal properties and loss of lives that accompany the collapse could have been significantly reduced if these kinds of seminars are organized periodically to sensitize the public. I want to urge NBRRI not to rest on its oars but strive more towards addressing other critical issues that are begging for solutions in the road and building sectors of the Nigerian economy”, Dr Mamora said.
The Minister promised that the Federal Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation will continue to support NBRRI towards achieving its vision, mission and mandates.
The Chairman, NBRRI governing Board, HRH Dr Uche Egenti, urged the Nigerian government to support the agency in repositioning staff strength by being permitted to employ more research officers to the various departments of Building, Road and Engineering material in order to enhance qualitative research that is needed in the Building and road sectors of Nigeria economy.
“On our part, the Governing Board will continue to support the Institute, especially the management towards meeting its set goals and the general aspiration of the public,” Dr Egenti added.
The Director General, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute NIBRRI, Prof. Samson Duna in his paper titled: Evaluation of Building Collapse Incidences in Nigeria from 2012 – 2021, said that “it is a shame for professionals to allow buildings to collapse due to human errors”.
The DG revealed that research investigations carried out by the agency revealed man made errors in terms of substandard materials, poor workmanship, lack of supervision, amongst others as causes of most building collapse in the country.
“If these recommendations can be put in place, I am sure the issues of building collapse will be minimized or drastically reduced or even avoided as time goes on. But we must start from somewhere, all these factors are resting on corruption, each stage corruption can influence it, but if these recommendations can be put in place, I want to assure Nigerians that the issue of building collapse, it might be 1/100 or 0.5/100” he added.
Prof. Duna further made it known that the agency’s purpose in organizing such seminars is to see how outcomes of the gathering will be passed to the relevant stakeholders for possible laws that will guide the building profession in Nigeria.
“Basically now we are compiling ideas to come up with a standard procedure of doing things in the form of a roadmap, once this is done, then it becomes a policy then it can be approved,” Prof. Duna added.
