Abuja-based consultant engineer, Mr Olumoh Sharafadeen, has advised the public against engaging quacks in the construction and building industry, saying it often results in building collapse in the country.
Sharafadeen, who is the managing director, Pure Tech Engineering Consultants Limited, gave this advice in an interview Tuesday in Abuja.
He said it is necessary to get the right advice, the right design and the right supervision from qualified construction and building engineers because it is cost-effective and safer than patronising quacks.
“Patrionising professionals is even the cheapest, one of our principles is safety and economy.
“Sometimes the quacks may not even know that some members they are putting in structures are not necessary because they have not done any design, they do not even understand how it works.
“Even in terms of reinforcement, it is not the number of reinforcement you put into a building that makes it safe but the manner of application is what makes it safe.
“So, if you approach an engineer, he will tell you the safest; it is the engineers or those that practice within that realm that would know what exactly you need.
“The best for anybody that wants to go into construction is to approach the professionals because they will give you options,’’ he said.
Sharafadeen said engineers had brought down their charges due to appeal from the public and given the fact that one of their ethics is ensuring safety and being economical.
He also said the services of a certified construction and building engineer would enable clients to have viable options in the types of the materials to use for a given building or construction projects.
“Some of these quacks don’t even know more than a single option; nowadays we have a lot of building material options that one can adopt and it will serve you.
“I built a building in Kano for the Emir in front of the Kano state Government House, there was a monument that was built there in 2017, and we used polystyrene.
“When people see polystyrene they think it is a very light element that cannot withstand construction, but we used it when the emir saw it, he invited us to his palace and built his palace using some of these new materials.
“So, there are a lot of options now that people are not aware of and they are as stable and even stronger than the conventional materials that people know about,’’ he said.
(NAN)
