The federal and state governments have been urged to take more proactive measures to tackle the increasing incidence of building collapse across the country.
Speaking in Awka, the Vice President of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene regretted that the new challenge is claiming lives and property in various parts of the country.
Paul Ezeoke reports that Chief Okeke-Ogene said that the government should ensure strict enforcement of physical planning and construction laws and regulations as well as enforce the National Building Code in line with international best practices.
He also enjoined regulatory bodies to follow due process in approving building plans and designs so that developers would not have room to compromise and cut corners, while there should also be training and retraining of building practitioners and strict adherence to quality building materials according to specifications and those who violate lay down procedures for construction activities should be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
Chief Okeke-Ogene also called on National and State Assemblies to put in place legislations that will prescribe serious punishments for defaulters who put up building structures without making use of professionals and quality materials while, sale and distribution of substandard building materials across the country should be checked and that the Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, should ensure that only certified building materials are allowed in the market.
He cautioned developers against forcing professionals to compromise standards at the expense of safety, quality and structural stability.
Also speaking, a community leader, Chief Nnamdi Chikere enjoined residents and building owners to always inspect their buildings regularly for cracks and other structural defects and consult professionals for necessary solution and prevention while the government should put in place machinery for strict monitoring of construction sites.
Chief Chikere stressed the need to sensitize people on the need for building maintenance and how to check for building failure.
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