Building Collapse: Former Registrar Wants Proper Monitoring

A former Registrar,
Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Mr Felix Atume, has called for a proper monitoring of buildings under construction by appropriate government agencies.
Atume who made the call last Thursday in Abuja in an interview with journalists said this would help to prevent incidences of building collapse.
He also called for laws which would ensure a “Structural Integrity Test” for existing buildings in the country.
The former registrar explained that the test is conducted by experts with the use of instruments to measure the quality of building materials and how balanced a structure is.
He said the test would also determine how long a building would last.
“As a matter of urgency, government should make policies which will ensure proper monitoring of buildings under construction.
“That is the practice in many countries, including Malaysia. The owners of the buildings usually willingly call for those tests,” Atume said.
He also called for stiffer sanctions for landlords and developers who engage in sharp practices in building.
The former COREN registrar called on the public and the mass media to also report any misconduct by developers.