In Nigeria, safety issues matter so little to a good number of individuals and organisations, but here is Brickwall Group of Companies, a multi-disciplinary company with strong presence in real estate and human capital development, that has distinguished itself in safety matters.
Recently, the company entered into partnership with safety engineers under the aegis of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) who are also committed to safety in homes, offices or shops to promote safety and end incidence of building collapse in Nigeria.
Building collapse has become a recurrent decimal in the country and that has been attributed almost 100 percent to pseudo-professional otherwise called quacks who pay little or no attention to standards and safety.
“Building collapse is now a trending issue in Nigeria and there is no week or month you won’t hear of it. We have a lot of touts roaming the street claiming that they can build simply because they can lay one block on another; some of them never went to school and, before you know it, they will construct five storey building for someone and when neighbours or friends see them they start patronizing such touts and at the end, the buildings collapse, leaving behind death and loss of property”, said Uche Ahubelem, Brickwall’s GMD, who spoke during a visit off ASSE officials to his office in Lagos.
“Until the issues of quarks are curtailed, Nigerians will still continue to be victims of building collapse”, Ahubelem noted, lamenting that a lot of people found it difficult to abide by standard, but would rather engage the services of touts who are ready to cut corners without putting into consideration the long term losses and disadvantages.
“We believe in professionalism and are always trying to let people understand that safety is about their lives and not about somebody cutting corners. If you cut corners today, there is still danger awaiting you in future. What we are talking about is not about having money to build house, but ensuring that it is safe for its inhabitants”, he said.
The ASSE, Nigeria Chapter president, Herbert Nwaka, disclosed that in the course of their safety assessment in private organizations, they realized that Brickwall groups has zero fatality in the course of their operations and the only way to appreciate their effort was to recommend them to global body of the society for what they called professional development award for leadership billed for Denver, Colorado, sometimes in June this year.
He disclosed further that they were also partnering with the US Consulate, federal road safety corps (FRSC), construction companies, among others, adding that asides discussion and promoting safety, the up-coming summit would also have exhibition in which companies would be allowed to take part.
He noted that, in Nigeria, safety was still work in progress, adding, “we need to cultivate the culture of safety as a nation. Presently, we are used to breaking rules and cutting corners; it is time we asked ourselves whether we are safety conscious and what role we have played. Safety is not only for oil and gas industry, but for all of us in Nigeria.”
CHUKA UROKO
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