If the skyrocketing cost of building materials, especially cement is allowed to continue untamed, the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) has warned that Nigeria risks more collapse buildings from 2021.
This alarm was brought to the fore at the just concluded Annual Dinner and Awards program of the body of civil engineers, held at the NECA hall on December 26, 2020.
Speaking to journalists after the program, a former national chairman, Eng. Owivry said many building contractors got their briefs with approved budgets that the did not take the current cost into cognisance, stressing that the “Increase in the cost will now put pressure on the engineer to maneuver his way around the budget to ensure he delivers the job.”
According to him, cement which sold for about N2,500, some weeks ago, now cost between N3,500 and N4,000. “That means the man who got his contract with cement at N2,400 now have to ensure he finds a way to make up for the shortfall and that will affect his bottom line and don’t forget his profit is built in, into the N2,400 cement. How do you expect him to cope. Meanwhile, the owner of the job will not increase the budget,” he lamented.
The current national vice chairman of the institution, Eng., Lola Adetona said her fears stemmed from the fact that while the professional engineer will ensure he delivers on quality and on time, despite the current cost challenges, “my worry is the many quacks out there who now have the excuse to cut corners. To avoid the rising cost of cement from affecting his profit, he would prefer to apply shortcut measures and that will put the house and its residents in danger. ”
Concerned that the shortcuts will always be at the expense of quality control and quality assurance QCQA.
According to her, the quacks are more interested in making profit and many do not care what happens to the building in the long run.
“This is why we may continue to experience building collapse next year,” she said.
“We are in danger. Deep danger. We no longer have any other option than to find a way to stem this tide. We have an opportunity now to talk and take this matter to the next level, quickly; for the solution to the problem.
“This is no longer a time for lazy intellectual approach or argument. It is no time to surrender to inferior positions that insist on impossibilities, in this matter.
“Between the federal government, cement manufacturers, and indeed, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), we MUST find a solution, today,” Adetona said.
She suggested that there should be a round-table meeting that will involve NICE, cement manufacturers, and OEMs to discuss this issue. All stakeholders, she added, “need to be in a room now, to talk about this now!”
“I speak to you, not just as the national vice chairman of NICE, I speak as a concerned mother, wife resident and tax-paying citizen.
“The reality of these tragedies when they happen are more graphic than we know; particularly to victims of collapsed buildings”, she said.
Speaking on the tragic and traumatizing impact of collapsed buildings on human lives and properties, she said when a building collapses, “Children die, parents die, whole families are lost to every incident. Those who are lucky to survive death, may never celebrate Christmas or new year days, many years after their existence in a collapsed building.
Generations are destroyed and scarred forever and future of children are stunted.”
“Capital is lost and people lose jobs, people end up in hospital or jail.
No client commissions a contractor to give a building that will collapse few years after building. Neither have we seen anyone win award for best collapsed building.This is why we need to act now,” Adetona appealed.
Against the backdrop of the resurgence of the covid-19 pandemic, NICE national vice chairman is concerned that the nation may end up fighting both the pandemic and building collapse.
“You will agree with me that we cannot fight covid 19 on one hand and at the same time do damage control of buildings that will be collapsing when contractors will be forced to cut corners.
“We can save those buildings today and as NICE , we MUST move our narrative in this direction because time is of the essence.
We are NICE because there is no challenge that we cannot surmount and indeed, we have overcome many in the past; so long as it has to do with our job as Engineers,” she said.
In her appeal to her colleagues, Adetona said the institution is taking the issue seriously and will soon begin to mount pressure on the relevant stakeholders to find a way to stem the ugly tide.
Bulk of these problems lie at the door step of the government, considering the Economic realities in the country.
(1)Increase in PHCN tariff
(2)Increase in price of petrol
(3)Depreciation of Naira value
(4)Pandemic which affects production hence low out put
(5)Poor state of our roads which affects distribution and subsequent increase price of the cement
(6)Oligopolistic nature of the cement market.
If all these can be addressed with the relative stakeholders the price will be brought to affordable and thus alleviate the fears of the civil Engineers.