Structural engineers, under the auspices of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE), have urged the government to implement laws and building codes to check building collapses in the country.
 
During a virtual press briefing on the institution’s 38th Annual General Meeting & Conference tagged “Lagos2025”, scheduled for tomorrow and Wednesday in the nation’s economic capital, with the theme:

“Strengthening and Advancing Structural Engineering Practice in Nigeria,” NIStructE’s President, Johnson Adegboyega Adeyoye, emphasised the need for action.
 
Adesoye, supported by his executives, expressed concern over the rising number of structural collapses and called for a political will to ensure that only Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) registered and NIStructE certified engineers are involved in construction.
 
He clarified that while not all COREN-registered civil engineers are structural engineers, all structural engineers are civil engineers.

Adeyoye highlighted that none of the NIStructE certified engineers had been linked to any building collapse in Nigeria due to the stringent certification and accreditation processes.

Identifying the major causes of structural failures in Nigeria, Adeyoye pointed to government officials’ lax enforcement of building codes, the absence of certified and accredited NIStructE members, poor design, shortcuts, a lack of geotechnical soil investigations, and the use of substandard building materials.
 
Emphasising the need to advance structural engineering practice in Nigeria, the NIStructE’s boss stressed that weak structures endanger lives, while professional engineering saves lives.