Professional bodies identify how to tackle prevalence of building collapse

Operatives within the building industry have called for review of current approaches to curbing structural failures, most of which result in collapse of buildings, loss of lives and properties.

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They attributed some of the cases to quackery, failure to carry out soil test, substandard materials, failure of regulatory agencies in monitoring and enforcement, sharp practices by representatives of regulators, inability of professional bodies to fulfill oversight functions, failure of government at different levels to prosecute offenders and non-domestication, as well as adoption of the provisions of the National Building Code.

The First Vice President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Mr. Ewa Alderton, told The Guardian that the best approach to tackling incessant structural failure is to ensure that all professionals in building production process are engaged.

He said certain parameters like soil testing must be mandatory for all sites where building construction will take place, adding that professionals must also be involved in production right from the building approval stage, to design and on the site of construction.

Alderton stressed that all professionals involved in building production must agree to a building code guiding activities at every stage of building production, while professionals involved must endorse documents certifying that due process was followed during the building production process.

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