The Nigeria Institute of Building (NIoB) has called on the Anambra Government to make public the white paper of the panel of inquiry on building collapse and implement same.
By Chimezie Anaso
The Nigeria Institute of Building (NIoB) has called on the Anambra Government to make public the white paper of the panel of inquiry on building collapse and implement same.
Mr Kingsley Nweke, Chairman Nigeria Institute of Building (NIoB) made the call when he visited the site of a collapsed 2-storey building under construction in Awka on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a building under construction in Awka collapsed on Wednesday.
The Police Command in Anambra has said there was no report of death from the incident.
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra told NAN that the Police had invited the contractor and owner of the project for further investigation.
Nweke described the incident as unfortunate especially in January when the rain had not started saying it was too early in the year.
He said there was a need for synergy among practitioners in the construction sector as monopoly in the construction process led to compromise.
The engineering expert said the government should help with implementation of building regulations as approved but regretted that there seemed to be a lack of manpower for post approval processes.
According to him, there should be a quality control unit in every approval agency which must comprise all the relevant stakeholders in the industry.
“A panel of inquiry was set up last year after the DMGS centenary building and the Ochanja market Collapse.
“The panel has submitted its report but we are still waiting for the government to produce a white paper and implement some of the recommendations.
“There is a need to ensure enforcement on the part of the government, and professionalism in the industry,
“If they do not implement all the recommendations, they should implement the key ones for us to avoid this type of embarrassment,” he said.
Nweke commended the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) for moving with excavators to remove debris and to look for possible victims.
He said there was no record of death and the loss from the incident was only property and money by the owners of the project.
“Projects like this should have a consultant architect, a consultant structural engineer, a resident builder to ensure that the design, the structure and processes are thoroughly followed.
“This problem continues because when it happens, they only look out for casualties instead of conducting a forensic investigation,” he said.(NAN)
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