The Building Collapse Prevention Guild has called for the deployment of technology for the monitoring of construction sites.
The call was made at the guild’s Annual General Meeting in Lagos, themed “theme: “Investigating the Political, Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Building Collapse in Nigeria: The Sustainable Pathways for Eradication.’’
The Executive Director of the University of Lagos Business School, Mike Adebamowo, said the deployment of technology for monitoring of construction sites was essential to tame quackery and other causes of building collapse.
He said, “Most buildings that collapsed in recent years, including the 21-storey building that collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos State, on November 2021, did not have experts on site. If anything is wrong at the design stage of any project, everything built will be on a faulty foundation and can collapse.
“The tackling collapse of buildings would require commitment from building experts, governments, communities, and individuals. If we do not go back to basics, we will not be able to address the root cause of the problem.”
Adebamowo asserted that greed and corruption among property owners, building professionals, artisans, and governments must be dealt with in Nigeria for sanity to be sustained in the construction industry.
“Punishment that should serve as a deterrent should be meted out to any professionals or property owners who contravene building control regulations or engage in unethical practices that can lead to building collapse,” he said.
The architect urged the government to adequately fund its regulatory agencies and enhance the capacities of its officials.