Why buildings collapse regularly in Nigeria

From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja

Following the frequent building collapses in Nigeria, Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), has suggested a yearly monitoring of all storey buildings by qualified surveyors.

Proffering the solution, yesterday, in Abuja, President of NIS, Dr David Oluwamotemi, said that apart from surveying the land before a structure is erected, there must be a yearly monitoring of storey buildings by surveyors.

This is to know when the soil is weak and when the building is depreciating.

“You will not know when a building wants to fall by mere observation. You will use instruments to see it.

Tall buildings should be monitored regularly to avoid sudden collapse of structures” he said.

On how to curb quackery, he admitted that every state has a disciplinary committee that sanctions members who violate the building law but at the national level of NIS, the institution is handling two cases.

“You know we have a thirty-six state branches and every state has a committee that deals with any case of quackery and we have to see that quackery is reduced. So, that way you can manage it” he said.

Concerning the Global Surveyors Day, which is celebrated every 21st of March, Oluwamotemi recalled that the event is not only celebrated across the 36 states of the federation but across the world and it’s done to sensitise the public on the functions of surveyors.

“Surveyors not only survey the land, they also survey the sea and waters. Land surveying includes associated services such as analysis and utilisation of survey data, subdivision planning and design; writing legal description, mapping, construction, layout and precision measurements of angle, lengths and areas.

“Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them” he said.

Meanwhile, surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries. They provide data relevant to the shape and contour of the earth’s surface for engineering, mapmaking, and construction projects.