The Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) in Osun State has staged a sensitisation walk against the incessant cases of building and infrastructure collapse in the country.
The walk was tagged “Say No to Building Collapse: Build Right and Build Safe — Patronise Professional Civil Engineers.”
The engineers visited major markets in Osogbo, including Orisumbare, Fagbewesa, Idi Seke, Olaiya, Alekuwodo and Oke Fia, where they sensitised residents on the dangers of building collapse.
Speaking during the walk, the NICE Chairman in the state, Basiru Abiola, said the sensitisation exercise was aimed at informing residents about the dangers of building and infrastructure collapse in the country.
Abiola said the engineers were encouraging residents to build right and safe by engaging professional civil engineers in building construction to prevent collapse.
He noted that incessant cases of building collapse in the country were becoming alarming and stressed the urgent need to nip the menace in the bud.
Abiola, who identified moral decadence as a major cause of building and infrastructure collapse, said many quacks engaged in construction were driven by profit rather than safety.
“This sensitisation walk is to intimate residents about the dangers of building collapse resulting from the engagement of quacks.
“We are saying no to infrastructure collapse, and we want people to build right and build safe.
“Building collapse causes devastating and far-reaching effects, including immediate loss of lives, severe injuries and significant psychological trauma.
“It also results in massive economic losses for investors, destruction of property, displacement of residents and a decline in public trust in the construction industry,” he said.
Abiola also expressed concern over the quality of building materials being supplied by manufacturers, noting that it contributed significantly to building and infrastructure collapse in the country.
“You can imagine manufacturers producing different categories of the same building materials.
“For instance, when purchasing certain materials, buyers are asked whether they want type A or B of the same product.
“They now assign different prices to these materials in a bid to maximise profit at the expense of public safety.
“In the end, inferior materials are supplied to quacks for construction, which eventually leads to collapse.
“This attitude also contributes to the rising cases of building and infrastructure collapse in the country,” he said.
Abiola, however, called on building enforcement agencies to intensify their regulatory activities to ensure public safety.
“Our building regulations are very weak. People now build without the necessary permits because they believe nobody can stop them.
“Agencies responsible for checking the quality of building materials should also step up their efforts to minimise the menace of building collapse.
“However, we as an institution and stakeholders in the built environment will continue to sensitise the public on the need to build right,” he said.
Abiola also appealed to residents of the state and the country at large to always engage professional civil engineers for their building construction.
