The National Assembly should urgently pass the bill for the enforcement of the Nigerian National Building Code, the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria has said.
The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria CORBON, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Prof. Kabir Bala, said the loss of lives through building collapse had become a national embarrassment due to failure of infrastructure, including buildings.
“We should not continue to repeat the same cycle of mistakes and alibi when buildings collapse. The states should quickly pass and enforce enabling laws to conform to the minimum requirements of the building code,” Bala stated.
According to him, there should also be engagement of appropriate registered professionals, who can be sanctioned in case of default, for design and construction.
He stated, “Strict enforcement of building control regulations will take our country out of the woods. Additionally, Nigerians must begin to protect themselves by demanding that only appropriate professionals are engaged in their development works.
“Nigerians should not leave matters of their safety to governments alone. In simple terms, they should ask questions with respect to their building project development: Is the architectural design done by a registered architect? Is the structural design done by a registered engineer? Are the electrical and mechanical designs done by registered engineers? Is the management of the site execution or the construction process done by a registered builder? These questions remain relevant when Nigerians are contemplating new building developments.”
The council said the collapse of the guesthouse of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun area of Lagos was yet another in the litany of woes that the country had been witnessing lately and could have been avoided.
“While collapses can be due to so many factors ranging from human to natural, Nigerians need to ask some immediate questions such as were there any approved designs for the building? How and by whom were the designs done and approved? How and by whom was the construction done? What departures exist from the approved designs? All these questions beg for answers,” he said.
Source: The PUNCH
