By Kingsley Adegboye

Like taking the bull by the horns, the seven professional bodies in the Nigeria’s built environment have decided to use practical approach to bring to the barest minimum the prevailing incidents of building collapse in Nigeria after several approaches  by governments have failed to address the menace of building collapse across the country.

The seven professional bodies under the aegis of Building Collapse Prevention Guild BCPG include surveyors, town planners, architects and engineers. Others are quantity surveyors, builders and estate surveyors and valuers.

Disclosing the new initiative to tackle the disturbing wave of collapsed building across the nation at a press conference in last week by the Guild, the chairman of the body and national publicity secretary of the Nigerian Institute of Building NIOB, Mr. Kunle Awobodu said it has dawned on everyone in Nigeria today that serious problem of building collapse is not solved by rhetoric and mere promulgation of laws alone.

Awobodu who is the past chairman of NIOB Lagos State Branch added that “now, we have evolved a practical approach to solve a man-made problem that has so much cast aspersions on the professionals in the Nigerian construction industry. When a problem has reached epic proportions, it is subjected to serious research.

Data remain a fundamental stimulus to research of this dimension. Records reveal that no structural engineer or professional builder was involved in any known building collapse cases here in Nigeria. That is ample proof of one advantage derived when prospective clients patronise authentic construction professionals”, he said.

According to him, it is prudent to have somebody that should be held responsible for the failure of a project, pointing out that, that is the more reason a building owner should play safe by committing a construction professional to sign the professional attestation form that will make him culpable if he or she did a shoddy job. He stressed that once there is an iota of doubts on such a person’s professional competence, the client should immediately report to the construction professional bodies or BCPG for necessary remedial action.

On the modus operandi of the practical approach, the Guild’s boss noted that “our monitoring activities would adopt persuasive and non-confrontational approach. We are more or less observers that should show interest in the construction activities in our localities. We shall endeavour to know the construction professionals handling sites in our localities. Number of sites in each cell, type of building foundation related to soil test report and other factors will be determined and reported.

“Building Construction is where we derive our source of income. We intend to give back to the society through this united act of social responsibility. The greater danger lies within the sites managed solely by artisans and building owners’ representatives.

Professional advice that can assist building production at such sites would be provided free of charge or a communication link will be established between the site managers and government officials. Buildings that are unlikely to stand the test of time, when identified, will be brought to the notice of the authorities.

“In their localities, our members will partner with the executive bodies of Community Development Associations CDAs and Residents’ Association for greater achievements. The Obas and Chiefs should also be of great assistance to our cause. On the danger inherent in substandard construction, religious leaders will help preach to their congregations. Enlightenment campaign can help overcome ignorance and sharp practices.

Commending the initiative of the Guild, Mr. David Addio Moses, an architect lecturer at the Department of Architecture, University of Lagos noted that lack of enforcement of the Building Code has not made efforts to curb building collapse in the country effective.