…as experts call for stiffer sanctions for quacks, protection of whistleblowers
Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, on Friday, assured Nigerians and the International Community of the 10th Assembly’s resolve to accelerate the consideration and passage of the proposed National Building Code bill within record time, as efforts geared towards ending the menace of incessant building collapse across the country.
Ihonvbere, who gave the assurance in Abuja on Friday during an interactive session with a high-powered Delegation of Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) led by Builder Kunle Awobodu, explained that the clean copy of the building code will be presented as a private member’s bill initiated by an Association on the floor of the House as well as the Senate.
The Majority Leader, who expressed delight over the successes recorded so far by the Guild, also underscored the need for the provision of enforcement of extant regulations, legislative oversight, proper sanctions and punishment for quacks, as well as enforcement of insurance cover for both public and commercial buildings as part of ongoing efforts to protect lives and property.
He said: “Our job is to look through it, get it laid on the floor. There is a committee, which they call a public hearing, to which you all will be invited. And I don’t think that kind of public hearing will take too long, because this is a professional and direct talk. And then, from there on, it comes back, and it is passed on the floor, put on the floor, and it goes to the Senate for concurrence. And here, the Senate literally has the same thing.
“All we do is set up a joint conference for it, from both Houses, and since the same document addresses the same issue, it will not last a long time. So, I will be waiting to receive this formally from you. And I will do my own part of it.”
While responding to concerns raised over the influx of substandard building materials into the country, Ihonvbere, who frowned at the removal of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) from the ports, pledged the House would resolve to ensure that the Agency is reinstated.
“I believe the standard organisation has more functions in the books than many organisations that are doing nothing, just collecting and checking papers that are relevant to children. So when you put them out of the books and you bring in people who have no capacity training or equipment to check what is coming into the society then you turn around to complain later I think we’ll follow it up again I know that this has gone through the House of Reps not once but twice and the conclusions have always been that they should be ordered back to the Ports.
“I think this time we’ll try to follow it up to see who is the person preventing this. I would say it’s not that they (SON) are overwhelmed, they are ready to work, they have equipment, but they were deliberately shut out of the Ports by criminals that want this substandard equipment and products to enter the market,” he noted.
While examining the role of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) in the economy in the 9th Assembly, Hon. Ihonvbere frowned at the report that the Agency was saving money, rather than building houses for the contributors into the National Housing Fund (NHF).
On the enforcement of performance insurance, Ihonvbere said: “I think this is the case; this is a very difficult area that nobody should put up any kind of commercial building, even private buildings, without the insurance of the project and the workers who are there. Because the building collapses and then they die, and they will forget that they can recover their bodies.
“No compensation goes to the families. And we pray that nothing like that normally should happen. But when it happens, there should be a mechanism. And this is something we must look at. Just like we are required to ensure our vehicles. I think this is a very critical area that needs insurance, and that of whistleblowers.
While pledging his resolve to ensure accelerated consideration of the National Building Code bill, he assured the delegation, saying, “Let the building code be as comprehensive as possible. I can give you my word on behalf of the speaker and my colleagues in the House of Representatives that we will do everything possible to get to the bottom of it and get it done. It is urgent. It is needed like yesterday.”
Speaking earlier, BCPG Pioneer President, Builder Kunle Awobodu, affirmed that the issue of frequent collapse of buildings in this country has turned out to be a collective embarrassment and an impact on the country’s image.
While lamenting over weak regulations and the absence of appropriate sanctions that could serve as a deterrent to offenders, he argued that “people easily contravene laws, and at the same time they hardly undergo punishment.
“It is very embarrassing to learn that 681 buildings have been recorded to have collapsed in Nigeria so far. And Lagos has the highest number of 368 collapsed buildings so far. That is 54%, followed by Abuja. Abuja has recorded 30 building collapses,a very young Abuja, 4.41%. And you have Anambra there, 29 numbers – 4.2%, followed by Oyo State – 25 buildings, which is about 3.6%. Then Kano has 25 buildings, about 3.38%.”
In the bid to address the concerns, he harped on the need to prioritise investigation, oversight function by the Legislative arm while the executive arm handles implementation and enforcement.
“The legislative arm should also try to find out how the lacunas are and how to resolve them,” he urged.
In the bid to address the menace of substandard building materials, he advocated that the Standard Organisation of Nigeria should have a presence at the nation’s ports.
In his intervention, BCPG National Publicity Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Agbator, underscored the importance of synergy with the 10th National Assembly in the bid to checkmate consistent building collapse across the country by putting a legislative framework on the national building code in place before the expiration of the 10th Assembly.
He said: “Long time, some of us since we’re in school, we’re hearing about National Building Code as I speak to you, sir, it is already due for review and amendment, however, it has not yet been passed into law and even domesticated.
“And so, sir, we want to beg you and put it to you as a challenge that before the expiration of this your first tenure and then you seek another one, find ways to ensure that this national building code has not just been passed into law but is being domesticated by States.”
He also called for the establishment of federal standards and compliance agencies that will monitor many of the activities at various construction sites and enforce what should be done appropriately. I also mentioned mandatory professional sign-off and publicity assessing the digital register. The world is going digital now.
“I am aware that places like Malaysia, Singapore and many developed countries of the world even right on your phone on your computer you can monitor the compliance level at various sites around the city center you can monitor you know when what they are doing is to standard and what they are doing is not the standard you are able to monitor even from the office the quality of mixes of concrete the quality of blocks supplied to sites,” he urged.
He also advocated for strong penalties and criminal liability for gross negligence and quack practices as part of efforts geared towards tackling the menace of building collapse. We have to see stiff penalties.
“Somebody has been responsible for a building collapse and lives have been lost, and you are charging him one million error or six months imprisonment, life imprisonment, and once that is done, they will serve as a deterrence to others.
“Mandatory site insurance and performance guarantees many things. Now, you want to do what they say, bring a bank guarantee, bring bank guarantee, but people want to build gigantic structures, but they do that without performance guarantees in our cityscapes and they go scot-free with them. Second to the last, sir, whistleblowers’ protection and reward systems.
“Let whistleblowers, as we take a stroll around our neighbourhoods, estates, we stroll into sites. Once we see something that is wrong, sir, let us be able to have a central situation room where a whistle is blown, and then an investigation is quickly done. Once it is found, the whistleblower should be rewarded. When it is done and then commensurate punishment is applied to such sites.
Other members of the delegation are: Arc. Mrs Agatha Christie Irabor, FCT Vice Chairman; Bldr. Mrs Victoria Gana, FCT Treasurer; Engr. Isaac Orga, FCT General Secretary; Surv. Mrs Ugochukwu Izuegbu, FCT Technical Secretary; QS. Dr Frederick Bissalla, FCT PRO; Arc. Dr John Bawa, National Publicity Secretary; Bldr. Abdulrazak Alao and ESV Raufu Alade.
