FG reviews building code as part of measure to end building collapse menace

Worried by incessant building collapse in the country, the Federal Government has concluded plans to review the National Building Code (NBC) as part of measure to end the menace.

Speaking on the NBC, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, said that serious moves were being made to curb the menace of building collapse in the country.

According to her, “there has been many of such incidents across the nation, so, we have to review the building code that has been in existence but not implemented. The building code has rules guiding the putting up of any structure.

Some contractors want to mould over 100 blocks with just a bag of cement, which is unprofessional because it will not make the blocks to be strong and could lead to building collapse.

“When the mixture of sand outweighs cement, the building may collapse after a short while, either because of heat or excessive downpour. Actually, there are standards for laying foundation for one bedroom, a flat and for laying a foundation for a storey building; the rods and concretes are all part of the standard that must be adhered to.”

In her presentation at a stakeholders’ validation workshop on a roadmap for the sector, she said the revision of the code had been finalised and would be presented to her by the NBC Advisory Committee before its approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

She noted that the greatest move against the rising cases of building collapse in the country was the revision of the NBC to put building developers in check. The NBC was enacted in 2006 to set standards, minimise structural failures in the building construction industry, promote safety as well as ensure qualitative housing.

She also added that they have been able to address the stakeholders to ensure that the building code ethics are strictly followed to curtail the collapse of buildings that we have in Nigeria.