Stories by Donald Iorchir
Following the erosion of fresh concrete caused by the weakness of the bamboo props used to provide support for the on-going construction of an office complex in Mabushi, the FCT Administration has directed that all the bamboo props still in use within the building be removed and replaced with iron props.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, gave the directive recently when he visited the site to assess the situation.
Briefing the Minister at the site, the Acting Director in charge of Public Buildings, Arch I. K. Ekeldu, told him that as soon as they received the report of the incident, they quickly mobilised to the scene to conduct investigation.
He said their findings revealed that the bamboo props used to support the concrete floor of the building were weak and thus gave way to the weight of the fresh concrete mix.
He said: “It is not a case of building collapse but rather some of the bamboo props are weak and as soon as the raw concrete began to settle down they succumb to stress and failed, that is why the concrete eroded.
“Only a portion of the first level of the building is affected, but I can assure you that as a precautionary measure, we are going to conduct an integrity test on the remaining part of the building for quality assurance.”
Blueprint reports that the affected building is a five-storey structure being built to house the FCT Department of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), also known as VIO.
