As the people of Imo State count losses in terms of human and material resources following the recent collapse of a 7-storey building still under construction in the state, professionals in the built environment have urged government ministries and agencies responsible for giving building plan and design approvals to go beyond that brief in order to nip incidents like this in the bud.
The professionals note that investigations conducted on many collapsed buildings in Nigeria reveal that inappropriate management of building production on site has been the major cause, pointing out that quacks or impostors, who lack professional competence, have always succeeded in superintending over the very technical and complex process of building production.
“This Owerri building collapse is a clarion call to all ministries charged with physical planning and urban development in Nigeria to extend their strict assessment and vetting of building projects beyond building plan approval,” Kunle Awobodu, National President, Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB), said.
Building plans and design documents, Awobodu noted, are to all intents and purposes, just in the design and preconstruction stage of building projects.
It is expected that the ministries and agencies responsible for physical planning and urban development should devote greater attention to the practical stage, which is the actual building construction and the NIOB president advised that any company or individuals that will handle construction of a building should be thoroughly investigated to ensure that round pegs are inserted in round holes .
He was of the view that the sensitive building production processes should be managed by a professional builder who, by his or her training, will not compromise on standards or competence.
“It really boggles the mind why building collapse has become a recurring decimal in a nation endowed with many trained and licensed professional builders, whose statutory responsibility is to technically manage building production on site to a successful delivery,” said Awobodu whose views were contained in a statement obtained by BusinessDay at the weekend.
“It is unfortunate that people who do not have requisite ability to carry out a task ignore the inherent risk for the tempting, anticipated monetary gains, thereby endangering lives and property. The delicate process of transforming the architectural, structural and services designs and drawings to satisfactory building products requires expertise that professional builders possess,” he said.
Building professionals posit that when participants in building delivery process abide by their areas of specialisation with a clear understanding of their limitations and refuse to go beyond or exceed the bounds of their training or competence, building owners will definitely get value for their money.
They agree that there must always be a collective intention of consultants on a building project to ensure that those who will manage the building production process are qualified to do so in order to prevent a collapse that could smear the consultants’ reputation.
“The exquisitely designed architecture and professionally designed structures of a building might be subjected to ridicule if the Architect and the Structural Engineer do not insist on quality building production,” contending that most clients would not want to invest wrongly if they are sincerely guided.
To curb the incessant collapse of buildings which usually arises from construction errors, he recommended that building control agencies across the nation should ensure that a Registered Builder that could be held accountable for quality production is on site.
“There is a subsisting building regulation in Lagos State that supports this approach. Whenever such an individual is charged and found derelict in his or her duty, the regulatory body, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) will withdraw the person’s practising license. The fear of losing such a license and the accompanying loss of reputation always compel that builder to be very cautious,” he said.
On the Owerri building collapse, Awobodu was of the strong view that those who caused the wanton destruction of property and loss of lives should be prosecuted in order to deter quackery and negligence on building sites in Nigeria, adding that investigation and prosecution should not be delayed.
