Property expert and the Managing Director/CEO of Profilled World Homes and Properties Limited, Dr Promise Egwim, has urged federal, state and local governments to strengthen development control in the building sector to prevent building collapse and ensure safety in the industry.
According to him, there is the need to have a system in place to check and approve building plans before construction begins to prevent the continuous building collapse in the country.
Eqwim stated this at the weekend during the Grand Opening Celebration of his company in Abuja.
Stakeholders in the built economy have called on the government at all levels to ensure the enforcement of building control in housing development in Nigeria.
This is coming in the wake of incessant building collapses which have raised concerns about the integrity of the building sector and the players.
Recent statistics by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) have revealed that Nigeria records at least 22 deaths, 88 injuries and not less than 22 deaths between January and July 20204.
Speaking on how to curb the building collapse in the country, Egwim said, “Governments at all levels need to do more to ensure that buildings are constructed with safety in mind.
“We need to have a system in place to check and approve building plans before construction begins.
“It’s not just about enforcing regulations, but also about educating the public on the importance of safety in building construction.
“We need to make sure that people understand that building collapse is not just a natural disaster, but also a result of human error.”
Egwim also emphasised the need for the government to provide support for small businesses in the real estate sector.
He further said, “We need to make it easier for people to start and grow their businesses in this sector. This will not only create jobs but also stimulate economic growth.”
The call for stronger development control in the building sector comes as the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria expressed concern over the incessant building collapse in the country.
According to COREN, Nigeria cannot investigate such incidents due to a lack of expertise, equipment, and resources.
The President of COREN, Professor Sadiq Abubakar, attributed the frequent building collapse to several factors, including the use of substandard materials, structural failure, illegal conversion of buildings, quackery, and inadequate supervision during construction.
He then said, “We can’t investigate building collapse in Nigeria. We don’t have the expertise, the equipment, and the resources to do so,” he said.
In a related development, the Chairman of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, Dr. Samson Opaluwah, recommended the enactment of laws to enforce the provisions of the National Building Code, which has long been approved by the Federal Executive Council.
“Specifically to stem building collapse, the immediate enforcement of provisions of Sections 2.44 and 2.62 of the National Building Code (2019) which requires the submission and usage on site of Builders Construction Methodology, Builders Project Quality Management Plan, and Building Construction Programme prepared by a registered builder, in the construction of building projects,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Housing, Hon Ahmed Lera, also expressed concern over building collapse cases and the loss of lives and properties, and urged the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, to come up with a plan to integrate regulatory compliance and enforcement in the housing sector.
