A building expert in Cross River State, Engr Ekpeyong Ekeng, has noted that the incessant collapse of buildings in many parts of the country is a result of inability of building contractors to interpret structural designs.
He also adduced the reason for building collapse to patronage of cheap building materials.
Ekeng, who is the chairman of Nigerian Institute of Building, Cross River State chapter, spoke in an interview in Calabar, saying many defects in buildings could be corrected.
“The numerous cases of building collapse reported across the country is attributable to the high demand for substandard building materials due to the high cost of quality ones.
“The structural defects noticed in some buildings can be corrected before the completion of work on such buildings.
“But most of the time the building contractors are not conversant with structural engineering designs.
“This is because they are not qualified in terms of technical know-how to handle such jobs,” he said.
He appealed to the government to come up with guidelines that would ensure that only qualified hands are allowed to handle sensitive construction works to ensure safety.
Ekeng further pointed out that except urgent steps are taken to address the housing needs of the rapidly expanding population, the country would be far off from attaining the United Nations 2030 sustainable development goal of affordable shelter for all.
