Sanction Offenders Of Collapsed Buildings – Surveyor

An estate Surveyor
and Valuer in Port Harcourt, Mr. Benjamin Oti has called for adequate sanction against builders of collapsed buildings.
Speaking in a chat with The Tide in Port Harcourt, Mr. Oti who is the principal partner of Ben Oti and Co., and also a member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Rivers State branch noted that the issue of building collapse has become worrisome.
He said, “There should be proper supervision during the process of building by agencies or groups responsible for regulation so as to avoid  collapse of buildings.
In any issue of collapse, the professional bodies concerned, especially in the building sector should investigate the cause and saction the offenders adequally.”
Mr Oti who is also a specialist in environmental management explained that defect in architectural  design, failure of the builder or contractor to use standard materials and influence of building owners who prefer to use substandard materials could cause building collapse.
He explained that some building owners compel builders to make use of materials available not minding the danger that might result later.
For high rise buildings of 10 stories and more Oti posited that improper foundation can also cause collapse of the structure, even when the design, and proper materials are used adding that there was need for structural engineers to always do a thorough Job.
The estate valuer however, maintained that if proper checks were not carried out, huge amount of resources would be lost to collapse of building in the country.

Corlins Walter