Samuel Bello, Abuja
The College of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), has advocated stiff punishment for those who have been described as ‘unprofessional builders’ in the country over rampant building collapse.
Chairman of the institute, Mrs Adebolanle Araba, who stated this in Abuja during a congress convened by the college, noted that it has legal backing to punish anybody who indulges in unprofessionalism among its members and those impersonating its professionals.
Araba who expressed concerns over incessant building collapse, particularly in the urban centres like Lagos and Port Harcourt stressed that it is high time the institute took bull by the horns, adding that the intensity of proposed action, called for the cooperation of all stakeholders and community.
She said, “There is a law that gives Builders Congress organized by the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) the legal backing to punish whoever errs. But before you can punish, there has to be an investigation which has to be conclusive before the culprit is determined, it is a societal issue.
“The time is ripe that there has to be a punishment to deter others from pursuing a cause that is not professional. The government has already given us a legal backing to regulate professionals for building, but it needs the acceptance by the community that are professionals charged with the responsibility of producing buildings.”
Similarly, Peter Kuroshi Registrar of CORBON, also backed Araba, saying as far as the council is concerned, the major cause of building collapse is quackery, adding that unlicensed personnel are responsible for the menace.
He, however, expressed optimism that the menace will be nipped in the bud very soon.
“As far as CORBON is concerned, we believe the major cause of building collapse is quackery. Buildings in Nigeria are being constructed by nonprofessionals.
“By law, the builder is the producer of buildings, he relies on production information generated by other professionals in the field which the builder will use to construct, but we are very much aware that unlicensed personnel are responsible for most of the buildings that have collapsed in this country,” said Kuroshi.