Experts seek sanctions, community vigilance to curb building collapse, others

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has charged its 102 newly admitted Fellows to deploy their expertise to tackle Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges, promote innovation and transfer knowledge to younger professionals.

The Society also stressed the need for engineers to uphold professional ethics and integrity, warning that breaching its codes and standards could lead to the withdrawal or revocation of Fellowship, subject to its governing provisions and due process.

The charge was given during the NSE 2026 Third Quarter Dinner and Conferment of Fellowship held in Lagos yesterday.

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, while speaking at the event, congratulated the new Fellows, describing their elevation as recognition of years of professional commitment, competence and contributions to the engineering profession.

RELATEDLY, the United Action for Change (UAC) has called on regulatory bodies and gatekeepers to discharge their duties in line with extant rules and regulations to tackle administrative and professional negligence, saying that the menace has led to loss of lives and discouraged many citizens from doing the right thing.

The UAC, in the advice given at the weekend during a roundtable themed “Professional Negligence in Nigeria,” organised by it in Lagos, also urged citizens not to keep silent over the administrative and professional negligence in the country.

Hamzat, represented by his Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Olufemi Daramola, said the responsibility of engineers went beyond designing and constructing physical infrastructure, stressing that their work must ultimately provide practical solutions that improve the quality of life of citizens.

He noted that roads, bridges, drainage systems, energy infrastructure, water facilities and technology projects derived their value from their impact on people and communities.

According to him, the rapid growth and urbanisation of Lagos State had placed enormous demands on infrastructure, making it necessary for engineers and policymakers to anticipate future needs while addressing existing challenges.

Hamzat, therefore, urged engineers to play a greater role in planning and policymaking, while giving adequate attention to sustainability, maintenance, efficient resource utilisation and the suitability of projects to their local environments.

The NSE President, Ali Alimasuya Rabiu, similarly charged the new Fellows to remain committed to the Society’s professional codes, standards and ethical principles governing engineering practice.

Rabiu warned that failure to uphold the principles and tenets of the profession could attract disciplinary action, including withdrawal or revocation of fellowship, subject to the Society’s governing provisions and due process.

Earlier, Chairman, Board of Fellows, Kamila Maliki, said the 102 engineers had undergone a rigorous selection process, adding that their admission reflected the NSE’s commitment to professional excellence, integrity, competence and merit.

Maliki stressed that fellowship came with responsibilities beyond professional recognition, particularly in providing leadership, mentoring younger engineers and contributing to the advancement of the profession.

However, the event, with a focus on administrative negligence in the construction sector and legal negligence, brought together professionals in the administrative sector, building industry and legal sector.

Deputy Registrar, Lagos State University (LASU), Temitope Ladipo-Scott, decried the high level of administrative negligence in the country despite existing laws.

She said that offenders should be penalised or jailed for violating established procedures.

A professional builder, Mubarak Gbaja-Biamila, who spoke on construction-sector negligence, said citizens’ silence contributes to professional negligence and the rising incidence of building collapse.

He, therefore, urged Community Development Associations (CDAs) and residents to speak up when they notice wrong construction practices.