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A pressure Group, Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), has canvassed what it called ‘evangelism against building collapse’ to stir the conscience of those who dominate the housing sector.
In a statement, its National President, Sulaimon Yusuf, and the Honorary General Secretary, Adenike Ayanda, recognised the booming real estate and housing market that has become an alternative business for investors following the collapse of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria.
They lamented that business people, who possess no training in building construction, have flooded the construction sphere with little respect for professionalism and due process.
The statement read: “When there are no eligibility criteria, requirements or qualifications that restrict admission into a sensitive and critical sector, the consequence will endanger the much-cherished live and property. And in ‘all-comers affair’, where professional advice is hardly adhered to as profiteering is elevated above safety, compromise becomes the order of the day.
”This abnormal and unacceptable situation became a concern to those of us in the built environment professional services.Town planners, (Land) surveyors, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, builders, and estate surveyors and valuers came together to form a coalition named Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) in 2011. Our membership is huge and well-spread across different localities and reticulated into various cell formations.
“The ubiquitousness of our members was to augment the low capacity of the government staff at monitoring the massive expanse of developed and rapidly-developing built environment. The huge BCPG network enabled information on substandard building construction works and distressed buildings get to the notice of the relevant government staff. The system was result-oriented, effective, and still subsisted in a unity of purpose.’’
The group stated that the news of incessant building collapse causes an incalculable damage to the reputation of the built environment professional as he is regarded as inferior in the eyes of their foreign counterparts.
According to them, professionals are paying high reputational price because of the perceived ills of the sector. They, therefore, urged the government to address the menace and restore sanity in the sector.
“As professionals, we have pledged to continue to expend our personal resources to fight the causes of building collapse. Collectively, we put in 12 years of relentless and consistent service to humanity. Despite series of disappointment and discouragement, we cannot afford to give up. There is no man – made problem that defies solution,” it stated.
“Ninety per cent of developers do not belong to our professional associations and quite a number of them are very influential.The culture of inducement being promoted by many developers has encouraged compromise in the circles of government officials, the size of developers has become enormous, thereby overwhelming the government,“ they said.
They appealed to developers to consider the risk involved in building construction more than the gains by abiding by the building regulations and engaging the appropriate professionals in the pre-construction, construction and post-construction stages of building.
It advised developers embarking on multi-storey building construction to desist from direct labour methods and engage the services of reputable construction companies.
According to them, it is a clever way of mortgaging risks and saving costs at the expense of human lives, which could result in huge financial losses, chorusing the ‘penny wise pound foolish’ step.
Furthermore, they urged the government to lessen the burden on developers by reducing the high development fees and taxation, adding that expensive preliminary costs incurred in building plan approvals, among others, tempt developers to cut corners.
“Investment in the housing sector is a pertinent developmental contribution that provides appreciable returns. However, investment in buildings that will not stand the test of time, endangering the life of occupants is an investment in futility. Every developer should endeavour to deliver a building with the heart and intention of occupying it himself.’’
They advised that any developer that is in doubt of the stability or quality of building(s) constructed by him or her should have the courage to contact a professional for remedy as keeping quiet might spell disaster for many.
“It is pertinent to seize this opportunity to remind those handling building projects for their relations and friends in the diaspora to bear in mind that God has a way of rewarding sincere people that do not engage in the diversion of project fund to the detriment of building production quality. Morality and ethics can help raise the bar for our entire building industry. Those who invest rightly are considered wise developers. May the developers in this clime become wise and lessen the fears of incessant building collapse,” they added.
