The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria has urged the Lagos State Government to extend its investigation into the cause of the 21-storey building collapse in Ikoyi, Lagos to buildings in the neighbourhood due to vibrations that may have occurred during the incident.
COREN President, Ali Rabiu, made the call in a statement issued by the council in Abuja on Sunday, as he blamed the possible cause of building collapses on not using certified professionals to execute high profile jobs.
He further stated that the hike in the cost of building materials had not helped in guaranteeing quality assurance in the construction of houses.
This, he said, was why many people often try to cut corners by going for cheaper products in the market to maximise profit.
Rabiu was quoted as saying, “We are very worried that such a massive failure will occur in Lagos. At COREN we are surprised that Lagos which we have taken over the years as a centre of excellence has experienced this unfortunate incidence.
“We have always believed that professionals, particularly engineers, can survive without government patronage because of the massive infrastructural development going on in Lagos by private concerns, it is a thing of worry to us.”
Commenting on the recurring building collapses across the country, the COREN president stated that despite threats of sanctions by regulatory bodies to sanction defaulters, the propensity of Nigerians to always disobey rules and regulations had not helped matters.
