National Building Code revision needs professional input
As the revised National Building Code awaits approval from the Federal Executive Council, stakeholders say care must be taken to avoid the shortcomings in the old document, MAUREEN IHUA-MADUENYI writes
One of the latest moves against the rising cases of building collapse in the country is the revision of the National Building Code, which is currently awaiting approval by the Federal Executive Council, but stakeholders in the building and construction industry are of the opinion that adequate input from relevant professionals should be secured before it is given approval.
The NBC was enacted in 2006 to minimise structural failures in the building construction industry, promote safety as well as ensure qualitative housing.
Stakeholders are of the opinion that with the lack of implementation of the code and certain missing indices, it is impossible to hold anyone responsible when a building collapses.
The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, at a stakeholders’ validation workshop on a road map for the sector a few weeks ago, said the revision had been finalised and would be presented to her by the National Building Code Advisory Committee before its approval by FEC.
She had stated, “I wish to assure you that we shall work tirelessly to ensure that the revised code is approved by the government in record time. We shall also partner with state governments, professional and regulatory bodies, and other key stakeholders as well as partners in the building and construction industry to ensure the enforcement of its provisions.
“I believe that with our determination to ensure strict enforcement of the code, we shall succeed in raising the bar of professional practice and ethical standards in the building and construction industry. I am also confident that we shall also be able to forge greater understanding among the professional and regulatory bodies in order to continue to obtain their commitment to the transformation of this sector.”
A similar validation process was carried out by the former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Amal Pepple, in 2013.
Pepple had urged state governments and other stakeholders to uphold the provisions of the revised code adding, “If this revised NBC is to effectively serve as a mechanism to ensure the safety and protection of all of us from preventable hazards, which could be life threatening in the construction and housing industry, the state governments must lead the drive to institutionalise it through adaptation, legislation and enforcement.”
Professionals in the sector are, however, skeptical about the effectiveness of the code without adequate input from those who are directly affected by its provisions.
According to them, since the code is being developed and revised for their use, they should be given the opportunity to contribute to its content.
The Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Lagos Chapter, Mr. Olayemi Shonubi, said a public debate on the provisions of the code should have been considered before its revision.
He said, “I’m hoping this one doesn’t go the way of others, I would have expected a public or national well-informed awareness of the code before its review so that all the stakeholders in the building and construction industry will be involved, both in the preparation and agreement of the content, and not just a select group of professionals.
“Stakeholders does not mean the professionals alone, we should have developers because their interest need to be protected, same with artisans and even cement manufacturers, because inside the code, we should have the standards and specifications for the production of buildings.
“All the people involved in building construction need to be aware of the provisions of the NBC. If you are working on a building code and you talk to leaders of professional bodies alone, how is it going to work?”
According to Shonubi, the idea is to as much as possible stem building collapse; but most of the specifications in the earlier document still refer to the British standard.
“So, we cannot say we have specifications if we still refer to the BSI. We should have evolved our own standard that will take cognisance of our own environment in terms of weather and climate,” he stated.
One of the provisions of the code stipulates that the developer of a building, including an architect, engineer, builder, surveyor or planner, shall before the commencement of any building, satisfy the standards set and other building requirements in the NBC.
It also states that if a developer violates aspects of the code, he commits an offence and is liable on conviction to have his licence revoked or pay a fine.
However, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State Chapter, Mrs. Abimbola Ajayi, said enforcement of the provisions had been a major issue.
“We expect that this time, it should work and shouldn’t be just on paper and not be implemented. We have said the same thing over and over again for so many years and nothing is being done. We have a building code that is not being implemented, which is the old one; now, we are reviewing it and we don’t know if it will be implemented,” she said.
Ajayi added that inputs from relevant professionals as well as the inclusion of the International Building Code should also be put into consideration.
The expectation for the President of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr. Tunde Lasabi, is the inclusion of the builders’ document as a key provision of the code.
Lasabi stated, “These documents are the construction programme, health and safety management as well as quality plan. Now, one of the reasons why we need to have this done is that by the time you get to any site, if you don’t see these then you know that the person handling the site is not a professional builder because the professional builder must know about some of these document.
“Already, section 13:12:4 of the code mentioned that the supervision of the artisans and craftsmen on the construction site rests on the shoulders of the builder. Therefore, we are taking it up.”
According to him, one of the things that the code should also seek to address through the professionals is the importation of artisans from neigbouring countries, including Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic.
He said, “There is a lot of capital flight when many artisans from neighbouring countries flood Nigeria and take the money back to their countries instead of it to be used to run the country. We estimate that nothing less than N9.3bn is being lost annually to these people by the time an artisan collects N3,000 daily for a job and most of them work for six days in a week. A lot of money is being lost from our system.
“The building code that can check that for us should be encouraged; the major issue is that the builders should be given their pride of place. That is one of the things that can stem building collapse in the country.”
PUNCH.
