Nigeria moves to curb collapse of buildings

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The administration of the Federal Capital Territory has said it is working to set up a material testing laboratory to make sure that all on-going construction works in the Territory meet requisite integrity to avoid further collapse of buildings.

Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, the FCT Minister disclosed this recently while receiving Managing Director of the Ahmadu Bello University Consultancy Services, Professor Suleiman Karwai paid him a visit.

The Minister added that the building of the Laboratory has become a necessity to enable the Administration independently and  regularly monitor all on-going construction projects across the Territory to curb on any mishap during and after constructions of public and private projects and would give the government a second means of independent check on material used for houses under construction either publicly or privately owned together with other infrastructural development like bridges and culverts by ensuring quality control.

Bello noted that the fact that Abuja has never had collapse of any public building or public infrastructure is an indication that the FCT Administration which has since been handling such projects has adhered to strict supervision with the highest quality standard.

He added that despite the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) solely supervising the recent collapsed building in Gwarinpa II District of Abuja, the FCT Administration will utilize that unfortunate case to correct so many mistakes in the industry in the Territory.

He said, “The Gwarinpa building collapse though developed by a private person and wholly supervised by the Federal Housing Authority, it is an indictment of the entire system”.

The Minister said that the FCT Development Control Department will soon start on post development audit of completed houses all over Abuja to confirm that what was earlier approved was not changed afterward.

The minister said that the FCT Administration would also start registration of all Material Testing Laboratories that operate in the Federal Capital Territory corporately or individually owned and also establish surveillance of their facilities for effective control.