A Surveyor, Akin Olowo, has identified greed as the bane of the construction industry, which is responsible for some of the collapsed buildings in the country.
According to him, some developers usually cut corners by using substandard building materials to maximise profit.
He, however, called for an urgent solution to address the menace in order to sustain the reduction in the collapse of buildings in Nigeria.
Olowo noted that materials like rods, granite, sand, cement and others, being major materials for construction, should be mixed at the right proportions for good result to enhance stability of the structure.
Olowo while speaking in an interview in Abuja, also identified government agents and developers as the main bane of building industry because of their greed and compromising activities.
According to him, corrupt practices among developers and some authorities that grant building approvals are responsible for collapse buildings and other problems confronting the industry.
“Every stage of building construction must be approved by the state’s physical urban planning offices, and duly monitored by the responsible building control authorities.
Some developers embark on building projects without first obtaining the necessary building approvals and certification from the state government.
“Even, the few developers that claimed to have met the responsible authorities for approvals usually settle the officers involved, such that necessary examinations and visitations to sites may be skipped.
“If every stage of building construction can undergo adequate screening and have approvals, as stated in the building codes, the incidence of building collapse would have been eradicated in the industry.
“This is because before the government authority approves any project, it needs to ensure that codes and ethic of construction are complied with.
“Government has a key role to play in preventing and detecting corruption in the construction projects and regulation of services in its role as owners of utilities and implementing agencies, ” he said.
