Follow Us on Google
Tony John, Port Harcourt
A structural consultant to the Rivers State Bureau for Special Projects (BSP), Barry Akata, has said sealed Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) secretariat in D/Line, Port Harcourt, was due for Structural Integrity Evaluation (SIE).
Akata gave the explanation when he spoke in Port Harcourt, amidst questions over why the NLC secretariat was sealed last Sunday.
He said: “I am here to carry out SIE of the building. By this, we are trying to look at the structural defects on the building to ascertain whether the building is safe, and in a stable condition.
“This evaluation is always done mostly within a period of six to 12 months after construction. The main reason is that in contract administration, there is what we call five percent retention. That five percent retention is always held back from the contractor to take care of any defect after construction.”
According to him, the five percent could only be paid to the contractor at the expiration of what he called “Defect Reliability Period”, if the building did not experience any defects within the first six to 12 months of putting a structure into use.
Akata explained that considering the fact that the building was commissioned and handed over to the NLC for use since June 2019, making it about eight months, it was due for SIE test.
