Professionals urge collaboration against building collapse

The Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE) and the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) have called for synergy among the seven professional groups in the built environment to tackle various challenges confronting the industry.

According to them, it would take cooperation for the construction industry to attain success in addressing some of the issues in the industry, particularly building collapse.
The call was made in Lagos last week when the Technical Committee set up by BCPG to investigate the Synagogue Church building that collapsed recently paid a solidarity visit to the NIStructE President and his team at the secretariat in Surulere, Lagos.

Chairman of the Technical Committee, Mr. Olubunmi Ajayi, a town planner and former president of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), said the group requested to pay the solidarity visit to the structural engineer’s boss, Ore Fadayomi, in recognition of the significant role he played in the committee’s work and the report submitted on the collapsed incidence.

Ajayi, who commended Fadayomi for the integrity and commitment he demonstrated as a member of the Technical Committee while carrying out the assignment, said the institution had chosen “a tested man” as their president
The committee’s chairman, who was accompanied by other members of the group, noted that immediately they realised that the collapsed building was a structural issue, they tasked Fadayomi, whom he said represented his profession very well, because the report the committee submitted eventually became very useful to the Coroner set up on the incident.

He, however, called for a synergy among all the professional groups in the sector, saying the Committee was able to produce the report because of the synergy and the spirit of unity at which they handled the work.

National President, BCPG, Mr. Kunle Awobodu, a builder, said he was excited when Fadayomi became the president of NIStructE because he was a member of a Committee that prepared the report, which has become very relevant.

He appreciated the team spirit demonstrated by the Committee and urged professionals in the industry to work together so that the various challenges confronting the industry can be addressed.
“Construction has never been a one man show; if you achieve anything, it is as a result of synergy, “ he said.

The BCPG chief noted that experience in the recent time through various interactions with stakeholders shows that there is a long way to go in sanitizing the built industry of building collapse and other challenges confronting it.
Awobodu said BCPG has adopted a new approach in tackling the industry challenge by addressing specific issues that are prevalent in each environment.

He explained that presently, cell members in Odun Ade area, the popular plumbing material market in Lagos, are addressing plumbing related issues in construction while the Orile-Iganmu cell members are addressing iron bars as well.
NIStructE President, Ore Fadayomi, in his response, thanked the Committee members for the encouragement and support given while carrying out investigations on the collapsed Synagogue Church building where more than 100 people lost their lives.

He added that it was not a “one man show”, but with the backing of his professional colleagues, he emphasized that synergy is really important because an individual cannot do it alone. “We need to work together,” he said.
He commended BCPG for the grass root advocacy role being play to address building collapse issues and mobilizing artisans and other groups in the sector to make it a better industry.

Deputy President, NIStructE, Eddy Atumonyogo, thanked the BCPG for the honour done to the president and the institution. He added that the institution has qualified professionals they can vouch for in structural work.
Similarly in Abuja, President, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mrs. Mercy Iyortyer, also called on all stakeholders to join forces together to halt the incessant building collapse in the country.

Iyortyer made the call at a dinner in honour of her as the 23rd and First Female President of the NIQS.
She said for incessant building collapse to end in this country, the stakeholders must do the right thing.
“Building collapse is all stakeholders issue, everybody has to play their parts. Building engineers, architect and all the building materials dealers must play their parts to halt building collapse in this country.”

Experience in recent time through various interactions with stakeholders’ shows that there is a long way to go in sanitizing the built industry of building collapse and other challenges confronting it

Iyortyer said:”If we don’t sell fake materials there will not be building collapse. If we do proper design and you go through the process of approval and they approve very well there will not be building collapse. If you supervise your project well, there will be no building collapse.

If after you put up a building place and you don’t add story building on top you will prevent the issues of building collapse.”
“All of us we have to put all hands on desk. Let there be no cutting of corners by building owners and son on. All stakeholders have to come together to make it a reality,” she said.

On what she hopes to achieve in her tenure, she said “I am going to create opportunities for quantity surveyors. Am going to start up our head office project and am going to grow the membership of the profession and am going to train until we are recognized very well by all the players in the construction industry.”

By the time we are properly recognized people will begin to engage us and it is going to be include in budgeting, cost management monitoring and evaluation of projects, the cost estimate of projects and anything that has to do with management of construction projects we are going to be there and we are going add value to the construction industry,” Iyortyer added.

Also speaking, the immediate past president, Murtala Aliyu described the new president as “a woman with wealth of experience”, adding that she was ready to move the institute forward.
“Already there a lot of work in process and what will be her measure drive should be that she will move the profession into more public glare and also make the role of the position more apparent in Nigeria,” he said.