Collapsed Buildings: Draughtsmen Seek Stiffer Sanctions

The National President of Nigeria Association of Draughts men, Mr. Femi Ajayi on Thursday in Ibadan called on government to impose stiffer sanctions on those found culpable in cases of collapsed buildings.

Ajayi, who spoke to newsmen on the sidelines of the the Annual General Meeting and workshop of the association, said there was need for well articulated legislation to check the incidence.

The association was incorporated in 1989 to control and regulate the activities of practitioners.

Ajayi, who blamed the incidence of collapsed buildings on the use of inferior materials and quacks, said the law must compel builders to engage qualified professionals to handle their projects.

“ The law must be enforced in such a way that developers must engage competent hands not only in the drawing of plans, but also in involving draughtsmen to supervise the construction of buildings,’’ he said.

Absolving his members from all reported cases of collapsed buildings in the country, Ajayi said efforts were being made to boost the capacity of practitioners to meet modern day challenges.

“ Some of our members are now studying draughtsmanship as a course in federal polytechnics such as Ado-Ekiti, Bauchi and Kaduna after which they will become full fledged professionals,’’’ he said.

Mr Stephen Davou, the Second National Vice President of the body, told said that the workshop was organised to broaden the knowledge of members in the face of cases of collapsed buildings.

“ We are experiencing the problem of collapsed buildings because some people don’t take their time to gather experience.

“ Once they know people in authority, they feel they are qualified to practise and the result is what we are seeing,’’ he said.

Alhaji Lateef Adisa, the Oyo State Chairman of the association, called on the government to ensure that standard materials and qualified practitioners were used in projects.

Anthony Peter, an architect and lecturer at the Department of Architecture, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, urged draughts men to embark on continuing education.

Peter, who delivered a lecture on “ Developing Skills and Knowledge Acquisition as a Draughtsman to Meet this Millennium’s Challenges,’’ called for more workshops and seminars to boost the capacity of draughtsmen.