Why buildings collapse in Nigeria, by Society of Engineers

Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has blamed constant collapse of buildings in the country on absence of law to regulate the practice of engineering works by unqualified personnel.

Speaking at the end of the 51st national engineering conference and annual general meeting of the NSE in Abuja, yesterday, President of the Society, Adekunle Mokuolu, said the amended Bill that would empower the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to discipline non-engineers was now awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari, following its passage by the National Assembly. He expressed hope that the Bill would be signed into law very soon.

He explained that currently, COREN lacks the capacity to regulate activities of non-engineers, who are mostly blamed for designing and supervising sub-standard buildings that eventually collapse, disclosing that NSE has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Building and Construction Skilled Artisans Association of Nigeria (BCSAAN), with a view to halting the practices of non-engineers in the structure building processes.

Mokuolu said the NSE would collaborate with the federal government to ensure the implementation of Presidential Executive Order 5 for the benefit the Nigerian engineers and local players in the country’s physical infrastructure sector.

He stressed the urgent need for NSE and other leading engineering organisations in both the public and private sectors to carry out technical skill audit of all professionals involved in the value chain of rural infrastructure development.

The NSE boss said all professional bodies must jointly advocate the promotion of innovative funding mechanism to ensure the intensive involvement of the three tiers of government, as well as the private investors in rural infrastructural development.