MONDAY, 25th October, 2021: The Nigerian Institute of Building, FCT Chapter has called on other states to emulate Lagos and Ogun States by enforcing policies and also ensuring effective monitoring of construction processes to curb incidences of building collapse in the nation.
The Institute said this in a statement signed by the Chairman of the chapter, Mr. Omale Ameh.
It went further to urge the Federal Government and National Assembly to ensure that the passage of the National Building Code is facilitated.
It also decried the poor response of states to the call for effective regulation and enforcement of rules towards averting building collapse in the country adding that despite its decade-long advocacy for the passage of the National Building Code, stakeholders at various levels had not done the needful.
It noted that the masses continued to suffer the consequences of building collapses.
Ameh said, “To be fair, Lagos and the Ogun states come first on the list when you talk of states that are responsive to averting building collapse, based on what they have done and what they are trying to do.
“Some other states are trying to also come on board in that regard. Well, this is my own opinion. Some other states are beginning to see the cost of building collapse when compared to the cost of averting it.”
He added, “The NIOB will not fold its hands; we cannot afford to watch people die as a result of quackery which became possible as a result of ineffective regulation of the Nigerian building and construction industry.
“A point of note is that NIOB is an institution, not a regulatory agency or body of government; as a result, NIOB can’t enforce the law. We have continued to train construction artisans and tradesmen who should be employed by those who want to ensure the structural integrity of their buildings.
“But like I said, it is not part of our mandate to pull down poorly-built buildings or to embark on enforcement or regulatory function, but we can help to identify them and we are very willing to do so as part of corporate social responsibility.”