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By Maduka Nweke
The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has advised authorities
responsible for granting building approvals to apply stiffer sanctions
to offenders and those who complicit in building collapse as a way of
eradicating building collapse in the country.
SON said as a nation, Nigerians must imbibe and promote voluntary
compliance to standards as is done in other parts of the world adding
that builders must ensure compliance with all relevant requirements,
processes, and procedures for the built environment to be safe. In
Nigeria you hardly hear of cases where the Contractor who handled the
contract is prosecuted or punished in one way or the other.
Speaking during a Press Conference, the Director General/Chief
Executive, SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, said by the Provisions of Section
5(2) of the SON ACT NO: 14 of 2015 all regulatory agencies or
Organisation’s dealing with matters pertaining to, or related to
standards shall do so in collaboration with the Standards Organisation
of Nigeria for the purpose of uniformity of Standards.
The DG therefore urges all agencies and Organisation’s falling under
this category in the Building industry to work closely with SON toward
ensuring a safe environment for all Nigerians. He said, SON is
committed to working closely with relevant government agencies,
industry stakeholders, and the public to address the issue of building
collapses in Nigeria. “I urge the public to report any suspected cases
of using substandard materials or poor construction practices to the
organization.
“By implementing these measures, the Organisation seeks to ensure that
all buildings in the country are safe, structurally sound, and built
to withstand the various environmental and usage conditions they may
face. Notwithstanding the existing measures already put in place to
address this issue, I must acknowledge the need to continually upgrade
the regulatory strategies for the Construction Industry in Nigeria to
ensure the safety of Nigerians,” he said.
According to him, the Organisation in the past 10 years has invested
huge resources in building competence to carry out quality tests in
the Building Industry nationwide. He added that the continuous
provision of laboratory equipment including mobile block testing
machines has yielded positive results over the years.
“The SON has regularly carried out nationwide campaigns to educate the
public on the dangers of using substandard materials, the importance
of adhering to building codes, and the need for regular inspections
and maintenance of buildings. Stakeholder sensitizations for Block
Molders and cement-related products such as Concrete poles, Kerbs,
Concrete rings, etc. are regularly carried out and Artisans are
engaged on the need to constantly update their knowledge and hone
their skills.
“The Organisation’s State Offices across the country also carry out
quarterly monitoring of building materials sales outlets, such as
cement, Roofing sheets, Nails, Reinforcement bars, paints, and
Aluminum roofing sheets. Meetings are also regularly held with
manufacturers from different sections of the building industry in the
country, educating them on the importance of compliance with
standards,’ he stated.
Mallam Farouk Salim, noted that in compliance with the Organisation’s
mandate under Section 5(1) (b) of the SON Act N0.14 of 2015 to
undertake investigations into the quality of facilities, systems,
services, materials and products, whether imported or manufactured in
Nigeria, in line with this mandate, it is important to highlight that
the major responsibility of SON in the incidence of a building
collapse is visit the site, collect samples, analyze in our different
laboratories and submit our findings to the appropriate authority or
Investigative Panel set up by the State Government where the incident
occurred for further actions.
“The Organisation has carried out a number of investigations on
building collapse in the country. Findings from the investigation of
building collapses revealed that the reoccurring root causes of most
building collapse include: Poor structural designs, Quackery and
unprofessionalism, Inadequate soil testing Poor Construction Practices
and Procedures Unapproved construction Wrong demolition process, 2
Lack of maintenance, Negligence, Use substandard materials(Steel
reinforcement bars) Poor Drainage around the collapsed buildings,” he explained.
