The Federal Government has tasked the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) to provide solutions to the incidence of constant building collapse in the country.
The Minister of Science Technology and Innovation, Sen. Adeleke Mamora made this request at a one-day seminar organised by NBRRI in Abuja, themed “Review of building collapse in Nigeria, critical outlook and the way forward”.
According to him, the need to look at the causes, effects and, most importantly, ways to avert these avoidable incidences is very germane.
“Building collapse could happen in any country as we see on [the] news. We can understand when it happens occasionally, but when it becomes insensate like it is now, it can no longer be tolerated.
“Building collapse is not something that does not happen in well-developed countries but because in our own country it’s becoming like an epidemic, a daily occurrence and too many cases, something must be wrong. I believe that it’s time we looked at all the issues.
“I would want to urge NBRRI not to rest on its oars but strive toward addressing other critical issues that begging for solution in the road and building sectors of the Nigerian economy,” Mamora said.
While speaking on the evaluation of building collapse incidences in Nigeria between 2021 and 2022, the director-general of NBRRI, Prof. Samson Duna disclosed that the summit is to bring relevant stakeholders to investigate the problems that cause building collapse in the country and provide a solution to them.
“The idea of this summit is to brainstorm, try to bring people from relevant stakeholders to look at what is the critical problem in building collapses,” Duna said.
He disclosed that the research institute has six to seven recommendations to arrest the issue.
“If recommendations are put in place, I am sure that the issue of building collapse will be minimised and drastically reduced and avoided as time goes on. All these factors rest on corruption. There are about five to six factors but they are bent on corruption.
“At each stage corruption can influence what I am referring to. But, if this recommendation can be put in place, I want to assure Nigerians that the issue of building collapse – not that it will not happen again – but it might be one over 100 or 0.5 per cent over 100.
“Building collapse can happen in developed country but the frequency of occurrence is what is causing the problem. It has become so frequent in Nigeria, so let’s see what we can put in place, so that we can avoid it and minimise it,” he added.
According to him, anybody who defaults could be punished in different forms.
In his welcome address at the end of the summit, the chairman, governing board of NBRRI, Dr. Uche Egenti, said there will be implementable resolutions which will ensure that the aim and objective of the seminar are achieved.
Speaking on the challenges affecting NBRRI, Egenti said: “I want to emphasise that NBRRI needs more support to reposition its staff strength by being permitted to employ more research officers to the various departments of building, road and engineering materials to enhance qualitative research that is needed in the built and road sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
“Let me use this medium to call on the Federal Government through the parent Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to continue to provide adequate funding to NBRRI for research and development to strive which will in turn add to the growth and development of our dear country Nigeria,” he added.
