By Emmanuel  Elebeke

ABUJA — The Nigerian Society of Engineers, yesterday, said misapplication of cement in the production of concrete in building construction can lead to building collapse.

President of the society, Engr. Ademola Olorunfemi, who stated this at a news briefing in Abuja, said a cursory look at the arrays of causes of building collapse peculiar to Nigeria revealed that only two of the 15 causes of building collapse in the world are related to the usage of construction materials.

He, however, called on Federal Government to carry the society along in any standard measurement activity like in the recent case of cement standardisation by Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON and warned that it would be misleading and erroneous for anyone to assert that cement grade is a prime causative factor in the incessant collapse of buildings in Nigeria, when there is no experimental basis for such an assertion.

He also called for the revamping of the Nigerian iron and steel sector, currently lying in comatose to boost local production rather than depending on importation of steel for the nation’s construction sector.
On infrastructure, the NSE President said despite Nigeria’s emergence as giant of Africa in the recently rebased country’s GDP, the infrastructure situation in the country remains worrisome and pathetic, leading to under-investment of the country.