ON INCESSANT BUILDING COLLAPSE IN OWERRI
The
last time I painstakingly checked, four uncompleted buildings had collapsed
from their foundation levels within barely a week interval, all within the
Owerri Capital Territory. The bad omens, which variously involved three 3-storey
and a-storey buildings, transpired at different locations but mainly in Owerri
West Local Government Area (LGA).
The precise affected areas were Obinze,
Umuguma and Oforola, all in Owerri-West LGA as well as Ulakwo in Owerri-North
LGA. It was unarguably very painful and devastating that that of Oforola
brutally claimed about three human souls and equally injured many others. Till
now, the shock that ensued therein still lives in the hearts of the bereaved
and of course, those who were present at the scene of the incident.
To say that Imolites – especially those who
reside under decking – now sleep with one eye open with the fear of not knowing
what would happen next, is indeed to assert the least. Everyone including
myself is at the moment conspicuously jittery; a feeling which no doubt is not
unconnected with fear of the unknown. Notwithstanding, courtesy demands that we
ought not to allow our emotions becloud our individual or collective sense of
reasoning. It suffices to say that, in a situation like this, we are expected
to strive towards ensuring that such unspeakable circumstance wouldn’t again
see the light of the day.
It’s
quite disheartening that building collapse, which used to be a phenomenon
synonymous with Lagos State, Abuja and their environs, is now ostensibly the
order of the day in the Eastern Heartland. Hence, we must not fold our arms and
watch the ugly trend degenerate into a more troubling point. This implies that
in our respective capacities, we are required to henceforth sit up or wake up
from slumber.
The fact remains that we wouldn’t do the
needful or what is exactly expected of us if we failed to acknowledge the
rudimentary causes of the menace in question. It’s noteworthy that building
collapse could be attributable to either natural or manmade factors, or both. The
tragedy that recently befell Imo, Owerri precisely, could be blamed on both
factors.
It’s not anymore news that heavy
downpour is currently on the rampage, thereby resulting to uncontrollable
flooding. Lately, flooding has remained an ubiquitous misfortune as far as
Nigeria is concerned. A highly revered locality in the city of Lagos known as
Lekki remains one of the areas that would live to tell the dangers constituted
by the ongoing intense flooding witnessed across the federation.
We are not unaware that flooding alone
has a strong effect on completed structures let alone the ones that are still
under construction. However, there are criteria that can help buildings, be it
completed or non, to withstand the ravaging effects of flooding; this is
obviously where manmade/human factors come in. The use of standard building
materials coupled with engagement of only qualified builders or engineers would
go a long way in ensuring that the affected structures stand the test of time.
But,
in recent times, the reverse has been the case. Developers now resort to
engaging quacks – all in the name of engineers/builders – in various building
constructions. And the so-called engineers would be left with no choice than to
deploy substandard engineering materials for the awaited construction. Even if
qualified builders are eventually engaged, owing to corruption, or greed to be
precise, the builder would consciously opt for unwanted materials for the
proposed structure. For instance, in various quarters you would observe that a
bag of cement that’s meant to produce at most thirty-five 6-inch brick blocks
are often used to mould up to sixty blocks.
It
was reportedly gathered that the structure that fell at Oforola was initially a
bungalow but was later converted to a-storey building. A foundation meant for a
bungalow was allowed to carry decking thereafter; tell me why such structure
wouldn’t fall in the long run? In the
same vein, I reportedly learnt that one of the collapsed buildings had an
underground construction. Probably such provision wasn’t captured in the
building plan; even if it was captured, we must take into cognizance that there
are special corporate bodies that are licensed to construct underground, thus
it isn’t an activity to be carried out by anybody. It’s worthy of note that
constructions do not require frugality, because it is something that concerns
lives and property.
Quackery, use of substandard materials,
or greed, as the case might be, can be addressed by such relevant agencies as
the Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN), Nigerian Society of
Engineers (NSE), and the Nigerian Institute of Builders (NIB). In this case, we
are mostly concerned about the Imo State branch of the aforementioned bodies.
Among all, the Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) wouldn’t be left out
if these trending anomalies must be holistically shown the way out.
It’s
worth noting that architects are now parading themselves as builders or
engineers, thus these professional organizations are required to collaborate
towards producing the desired result. In her state-wide broadcast on the
agency’s weekly radio (Orient FM) programme titled ‘OCDA Today’, the current
General Manager (GM) of the OCDA and of course the first female boss of the
authority, Dr. Chika Nnajiofor has stated that the body would embark on
rigorous sensitization programmes including seminars, workshops, town-hall
meetings and what have you, with a view to letting all the concerned
stakeholders, such as land developers, prospective landlords and the general
public, comprehend their various roles in ensuring that standard structures are
erected across the state’s capital territory.
She further disclosed that her administration
was damn prepared to partner with all the relevant agencies in the state in
order to achieve a meaningful goal. Dr. Nnajiofor who frowned that developers
do not seek for ‘stages permit’ while erecting their structures, stressed that
such nonchalant attitudes would not be taken for granted henceforth.
For clarity’s sake, Stages Permit
implies that, having issued Building Approval to any land developer, such
personnel is statutorily expected to report to the OCDA as the construction
progresses until the work is duly completed. In other words, at every stage
attained, the OCDA is required by law to crosscheck if what was originally
approved is actually what is being erected on the affected site.
Against this backdrop, I urge the said
boss to borrow a leaf from her predecessor, Barr. Obinna Amagwula in the area
of field inspection. During Barr. Amagwula’s reign as the GM of the OCDA, field
inspections were taken as priority. According to the erstwhile GM, such
practice would enable the authority to fish out the bad eggs amidst developers
or engineers on various sites that are being developed. More so, the OCDA riot
act ought to regularly be read to the authority’s taskforce leaders cum members
so that they wouldn’t compromise the mandate guiding their operations.
The government, on its part, is equally
required to adequately play its role by providing all the needed materials and
vehicles toward enabling the OCDA, and its likes, perform effectively and
efficiently at all times. When something like this happens, all blames – albeit
ignorantly – are shifted to agencies like the OCDA without acknowledging the
actual causes of the unfortunate situation. Such act or presumption is
absolutely wrong.
Hence, as much as I deeply sympathize
with the families of the deceased, I enjoin every concerned individual cum
authority to henceforth jettison deceit or any form of prangs with the aim of
doing only the needful. Think about it!
Comrade FDN Nwaozor
Executive Director, Docfred Resource Clinic - Owerri
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