By Tanimu Muhammad
As part of measures to mitigate the menace of structural failure otherwise known as building collapse, the Development Control Department, of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), is set to conduct intensive integrity test on all abandoned structures in the nation’s capital city.
The Director, Development Control Department, Mukhtar Galadima, said a number of abandoned buildings have been identified, hence the move to engage consultants to conduct integrity tests on the structures to determine their stability or otherwise.
Galadima, who spoke on Wednesday, at a meeting with engineering consultants and professional bodies in the building industry, added that for all structures that fail the test, the Department will have to move in and remove them before they become unfortunate situations.
According to him, there are about 653,000 abandoned buildings in the nation’s capital city, much of which serve as a safe haven for men of the under world.
“We want to be more proactive; we don’t have to wait to be caught napping, that is why we had to call the consultants and other stakeholders, so that we can have discussions and strategise on how to prevent structural failure, otherwise known as building collapse, in Abuja.
“Some times back the department of Development Control went out and identified a number of abandoned buildings, and some of these things have stayed for some too long, so we need to engage consultants to conduct integrity tests on these structures to determine their stability or otherwise,” he explained.
On timeline for the exercise, the Director said ” city development is a continuous process. What we are doing is to create awareness and sensitisation, that people should live up to their responsibilities, if we just close our arms and some things happen, then we are not leaving up to expectation, so we have to do something.
“The meeting with the consultants is just the first leg, the second leg is to invite all the owners of these buildings and tell them of the intention of the administration.
“We are going to conduct this test and all structures that do not meet the requisite criteria will be removed because we are to safeguard lives and property.
“But those that are within the range of our remedial measures, we will make necessary recommendations. And thereafter, we will tell them the policy direction, particularly on abandoned buildings.”
Also speaking, Deputy Registrar, Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVRBN), Oyeteju Janet Shehu, noted that it’s very important that professionals are engaged as much as possible in the execution of jobs.
She said: “To mitigate the issue of building collapse, there is need for stakeholders especially the seven professionals in the industry to identify our job functions, because each of these professionals has their job roles.
“And if all of us stay within the ambit of our designated job description, part of the problem will be half solved.”
Similarly, representative of Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN), Ben-Osy Okoh, opined that it’s timely as it is appropriate for stakeholders to always come together and look at the issue of building collapses and other related matters in the built industry.
Okoh, however observed that it was the first time, the Development Control Department has deemed it expedient to assemble a team of professional bodies in the built environment industry.