A professor of Construction Management in the department of Building, University of Jos, Prof Jurbe Joseph Molwus, has called for the involvement of professionals and enforcement of National Building Codes as the only way to avert building collapse
Prof Molwus made the call on Sunday, 14 July 2024, when he featured as the 25th Guest of Pointblank News Blog Interactive Session on the backdrop of the catastrophe of Saints Academy, Busa Buji, Jos, where a building’s collapse led to the tragic demise of 22 individuals, most heartbreakingly children and 132 seriously injured.
Like a sentinel standing steadfast in the aftermath of the ruins, Prof Molwus spoke passionately about the lesson that Saint Academy’s grief had to teach. “We must demand professional rigour and the strictest adherence to our national building code if we are to safeguard our future. Domestication and enforcement of the provisions of the National Building Code are key. People should just make sure that they employ the services of professionals in all aspects of their building”
The university don attributed the reason for building collapses to “Quackery”. He said “The problem can be summarised in one word; “quackery”. This is a situation in which people do what they are not professionally qualified to do. And so, they do things wrongly”
Prof Molwus who doubles as Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, recommended that “Soil test is key to determining type of foundation, construction method and materials selection”. He however warned that “There is no one (method) fits all solution”
He further added that to avert building collapse, “It has to start from enforcement authorities by ensuring the designer does not double as the producer and so on. Professionals must act with integrity. Clients should abide by the regulations and standards”.
Prof Molwus called for collaboration and synergy amongst professionals involved in building production to “keep to their roles even though the science of materials is evolving daily”. “Stakeholder engagement is needed amongst all professionals. Nobody knows it all but everyone knows something little, that will count,” he added.
To serve as a deterrent to clients and professionals caught in the web of compromise that lead to building collapse, he submitted that “Jos Metropolitan Development Board, JMDB now has the opportunity to write its name in gold. It should assemble all relevant professionals to address all grey areas, including urban renewal and post disaster resilience measures”.
“People should be tried and punished if found guilty. This should cover the enforcement officers to the professionals. If anyone has received bribe to allow quackery to go on, they should be punished along with the quacks and the compromising professionals”
It would be recalled that on Friday, 12 July, 2024, a two-storey building of Saint Academy, Busa Buji, Jos, gave way in a monstrous collapse that buried dreams, aspirations, and lives under rubble and dust. The catastrophe left the state in disarray, with scores of students and staff members trapped, and several fatalities were recorded amidst the chaos.
