By Grace Alegba
The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) on Saturday while laying a wreath in memory of victims of building collapse, called for concerted action against alleged plot to secretly resell a memorial site in Lagos State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on March 13, 2019 over 20 people mostly children were killed when a five-storey residential building at 63, Massey Street, Ita-Faaji, Lagos Island collapsed.
The children were pupils of Ohen Nursery and Primary School illegally occupying the building registered as a residential high rise.
NAN further reports that the NIOB marked its 2021 Builders Day, opposite 63, Massey Street, Ita-Faaji, Lagos Island site of the 2019 collapse with children that survived the incident and their parents in attendance.
The highpoint of the occasion which began with prayers for the repose of the souls of the victims by both Muslim and Christian clerics, was the laying of the wreath on the site of the collapse.
NIOB National President, Mr Kunle Awobodu, led the second annual memorial organised by the institute and laid the wreath on the site accompanied by survivors, their parents, NIOB members and other professional bodies.
At the event to mark NIOB 2021 Builders Day, Awobodu said the lives of the school children were cut short due to substandard building production, and stressed the need to eliminate quacks.
While responding to the lamentations of Mrs Omowunmi Balogun, one of the mothers of the children killed in the incidence, Awobodu said the victims should not die in vain without action against quackery in building production in Nigeria.
Balogun had earlier while displaying pictures of the body of her dead child expressed frustration that memorials had no meaning and could not compensate for the loss of her beloved child.
She alleged that some people had been coming to inspect the site of the collapse with intentions to purchase it and errect another structure without care for feelings of grieving families.
My child died in the collapse. Last year we came here and we are here again, not compensated
The children that died in that disaster were more in number than the survivors you see here today.
I dont know what we are doing here, you can take care of the living children but for those of us that lost children, you have just come to open our wounds,she said.
The NIOB President responded by saying that the traumatic experience of those who lost loved ones to building collapse was much, hence the dedication of the NIOB to vigorously pursue the awareness campaign to end the menace.
He said March 13 was chosen for the Builders Day in commemoration of the second anniversary which it began in 2020 to honour the memory of the school children and other victims across Nigeria.
It is an opportunity for the children not to be forgotten and for the parents to continue to agitate for government action.
We are going to lay the wreath and give the children that survived the incidence some educational gifts. We are so sorry for what happened, he said.
He said NIOB would continue with its advocacy against incessant building collapse and be at the forefront to ensure the 63 Massey Street site is not resold for any purpose rather for a monument to be erected in honour of the dead.
Earlier while making his speech, Awobodu called for therapy to help the survivors and the bereaved overcome the trauma to live healthy normal lives again.
He listed factors encouraging quackery the major cause of several building collapses in Nigeria to include lack of enforcement of weak existing laws, inadequate or absence of sanctions to serve as deterrent against erring developers.
He said use of professional builders would help Nigeria overcome the menace of building collapse and urged all tiers of government to enact and enforce laws and regulations in tandem with the Nigerian National Building Code.
The development of result-oriented Building Regulations of Lagos State and attempts by some states to incorporate the well thought out project delivery requirements of the National Building Code in their urban development laws should be emulated by states of the federation which have not done so.
This will help put in motion the machinery for orderliness and end the sordid story of incessant building collapse in our nation.
The lack of veritable National Building Code with adequate enforcement aggravates and accentuates the building collapse crisis.
A nation without building code leaves its construction sector to the whims and caprices of quacks and emergency profiteers.
We hereby enjoin the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN to expedite further actions on the National Building Code project.
Giving legislative backing at the national and subnational levels are further steps in the right direction,he said.
Also, the Lagos Chapter Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Mr David Majekodunmi added his voice to the advocacy for a monument to be erected for the 63 Massey Street pupils.
Majekodunmi said the professional bodies had a joint responsibility to address issues of collapse as well as challenges of COVID-19 to stay in business without compromising standards.
He stressed the need for proper laws on quality assurance in building production management and urged NIOB to be a watchdog for the society to ensure government delivers on its mandates.
Other professional bodies including Building Collapse Prevention Guild, Lagos State Safety Commission, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers took turns to profer solutions to issues of building collapse in the Lagos State and Nigeria.
Lagos Chapter Chairman of the NIOB, Mr Sunday Wusu joined in the prayers for the repose of the souls of the children and other victims nationwide while school bags and other educational materials were distributed to survivors.
The 2021 Builders Day was tagged Professional Builders Engagement in Building Production Management and free site services were rendered to construction sites alongside other activities in the weeklong programme.
Source: NAN News