Building Collapse: Institution warns against increased cases in 2021

 

Mrs Lola Adetona, immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) Lagos Chapter, has said that the country might experience more building collapse in 2021 if efforts were not made to address the negative impact of the rising cost of cement and other construction materials.

Adetona, also the Vice National Chairman of NICE made the observation at the 2020 Annual Dinner and Public Lecture of the Institution in Lagos.

While expressing concern over the second wave of Coronavirus Disease, also known as COVID-19, which she said is now threatening to make 2021 another pandemic year, Adetona, stated that this was not the problem waiting for the country next year.

She said that the skyrocketing cost of cement was making building engineers and contractors, particularly, quacks, to find shortcuts at the expense of Quality Control and Assurance (QCQA).

“Nigeria should get ready for many more building collapses in 2021 if we continue to ignore the negative impact of the cost of cement and other related construction materials.

“The skyrocketing cost of cement is making construction engineers, builders and contractors, particularly quacks, to find shortcuts at the expense of QCQA; because they are more interested in making profit, many do not care what happens to the buildings in the long run.

“This is why we may continue to experience building collapse next year.

“We are in danger.  Deep danger. We no longer have any other option than to find a way to stem this tide.  We have an opportunity now to talk and take this matter to the next level, quickly; for the solution to the problem,” she said.

According to her,  there  is need for a round-table meeting that will involve the Federal Government, NICE,  cement manufacturers and indeed, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to discuss the issue.

Adetona stressed that it was no longer the time for lazy intellectual approach or argument or a “time to surrender to inferior positions that insist on impossibilities, in this matter.”

” A solution must be found to the issue among the federal government, NICE, cement manufacturers, OEMs and indeed all stakeholders.

“I speak to you, not just as the National Vice Chairman of NICE, I speak as a concerned mother, wife, resident and tax-paying citizen.

“The reality of these tragedies when they happen are more graphic than we know; particularly to victims of collapsed buildings.

“When a building collapses, children die,  parents die,  whole families are lost to the incident. Those who are lucky to survive death may never celebrate Christmas or New Year days, many years after their existence, in a collapsed building,” she said.

She noted that with building collapse, generations are destroyed and scarred forever and that future of children are stunted, and “capital is lost and people lose jobs, people end up in hospital or jail.”

She said: “No client commissions a contractor to give a building that will collapse few years after building neither  have we seen anyone win award for best collapsed building.”

While saying that we could not wait for everybody else to wake up to the danger threatening buildings next year, she said that “when we thought the coronavirus pandemic was leaving 2021 for us, it has gone to gear two.”

“You will agree with me that we cannot fight COVID-19  on one hand and at the same time do damage control of buildings that will be collapsing when contractors will be forced to cut corners.

“We can save those buildings today and as NICE, we MUST  move our narrative in this direction because time is of the essence.

“We are NICE because there is no challenge that we cannot surmount and indeed, we have overcome many in the past;  so long as it has to do with our job as Civil Engineers.

“I appeal to us all, whoever we are, wherever we are, to take this seriously and let us move this motion,  pursue with passion and let our sense of patriotism deliver this promise to Nigerians and to our great nation, Nigeria,” she said.

Also speaking, a University Don, Dr James Akanmu advised engineers to embrace the use of virtual tools in their professional operations for easy and fast delivery of projects.

Akanmu, also the Keynote Speaker at the event said that the only way to compete favourably in the global market was to leverage on technology.

According to him, things are changing and the Engineers need to change with the changing environment and update themselves in order to cue-in to the new methodologies, if not they will be left behind.

“There must be  conscious and deliberate embrace of technology in order to compete globally,” he said

Earlier,  the Chairman, NICE Lagos Chapter,  Mr Emeka Ibe, appreciated all participants at the event particularly the Elders, Patrons, Corporate partners and members.

Ibe reiterated commitment of the current Executive Committee Members (EXCO) to move the Institution to a greater height.

He, however, seek the support of the State Government for a piece of Land for the Permanent Site of NICE Lagos Chapter to ensure it deliver and contributes its quota to the infrastructure development of the State.