Collapsed Buildings In Anambra, NIA Faults Government

Collapsed Buildings In Anambra, NIA Faults Government

The Nigerian Institute of Architects, Anambra State chapter, has blamed the state government for the recent buildings collapses in the state.

It accused the government of lacking the willpower to implement the recommendations of professionals and stakeholders in building construction.

Addressing newsmen in Awka on Wednesday, the NIA Chairman in the state, Osita Okafor, asked Governor Willie Obiano to implement the 2014 report/ recommendation on how to avert building collapse in the state.

He described recommendation as detailed and comprehensive.

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While faulting a recent inauguration of a panel of inquiry by the state government over a building collapse in Onitsha that claimed two lives, including the structural engineer, NAI, said no architect was included in the panel.

The NIA said government attitude of rushing to set up panels on such issues without implementing the recommendations of such committees amounted to efforts in futility.

Describing such attitude as the bane of building constructions in the state, Okafor asked the state governor to implement the white paper report published in 2014.

He said, “We wish to state that we are taken aback by the inauguration of the panel without the implementation of recommendation of the former panel set up by the same government on June 9, 2014.

“We, therefore, draw the government’s attention to the implementation of the already published white paper report on building collapse published on October 13, 2014.

“As a state that prides itself as the light of the nation, Anambra should be able to show an example of the best international practices.”

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He decried state government’s decision of excluding architects on issues of building construction, describing it as “unconventional and unacceptable”.

“These anomalies don’t happen anywhere in the world. What results do they expect after excluding architects, the prime consultants in building projects from the panel dealing with the serious matter as grievous as building collapse?” , Okafor stated.