The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Ebonyi chapter, has stressed the need to engage the services of qualified engineers in order to check the high incident of building collapse.
Ebonyi NSE Chairman, Mr Friday Nweke, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abakaliki, said most of the buildings that collapsed after construction were handled by quacks.
He said that engaging professionals would reduce to the barest minimum the high incidence of building collapse across the country.
Nweke said that though the Engineering Regulation Monitoring (ERM), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and other agencies are tackling the problem, the major solution lies in engaging experts from the onset.
“The problem we have in this country is that people no long do the right thing; experts are not used, while quacks have taken over the jobs of trained engineers,’’ he noted.
Nweke also condemned the current trend of converting bungalows to storey buildings, without taking into consideration the consequences.
“The foundation for bungalow is different from that of a storey building, what people do is to break the wall and cast pillars which is not proper.’’
Nweke also appealed to block industries owners to stick to standard, rather than mould excess block in order to make outrageous profit.
He suggested that the media and regulatory agencies should enlighten the people on the need to do the right thing to check the increasing rate of building collapse in the country. (NAN)
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