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Worried by the recent development of collapse building around the country, the Senate has expressed concerns over the rising cases of building collapse in Nigeria and it identified corruption, breach of building codes and laws, failure of building regulators among others as factors behind the menace.
Adopting a motion presented by Senator Abdulmumuni Hassan (PDP, Jigawa State), the Upper Legislative Chamber directed its Committee on Land and Housing to organise a public hearing on the menace of building collapse with a view to getting Nigerians properly informed on the alarming dimension it had assumed.
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, expressed dismay that agencies of government charged with the responsibility of regulating the building and construction industry were failing in their duties.
He condemned what he described as the increasing rate of corruption on the part of building regulators, pointing out that the time had come to halt the unfortunate situation.
Ekweremadu expressed regrets that the number of deaths recorded in the September 12 collapse of a section of Synagogue Church building in Lagos had risen to 115.
In their contribution to the debate, some Senators said serious measures should be put in place to ensure sanctions were meted on owners of collapsed buildings.
Senator Ayade Benedict, a member of the PDP from Cross River State, observed that the failure of regulatory bodies to check the incidences of building collapses was destroying the image and integrity of Nigeria in the international community.
He stated that it had become worrisome that standards had become a non-issue in the building sector, a development he noted could lead to more disasters in the future.
Senator Joshua Dariye said that religious bodies top organisations which frequently disregard building codes.
He challenged the appropriate authorities to wake up to their responsibilities.
Senator Bernabas Gemade (PDP, Benue State) said the rising cases of building collapse had to do with the use of quacks and poor supervision and control in the industry.
He said it was sad that the engineering profession and its ethos had since been abandoned by those who were supposed to enforce them.
And determined to curtail the spread of the Ebola Virus, the Senate yesterday passed the Animal Health and Husbandry Technologists Bill 2013.
The bill was passed after consideration of the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
The bill provides for the establishment of the Animal Health Technologists Registration Board of Nigeria, which shall determine the standards of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the profession and to improve those standards when necessary..
The committee in its report noted that the passage of the bill would enhance the activities of the Animal Health Technologists, adhere to international best practices, and ensure their accreditation with the World Organisation for Animal Health, which Nigeria is a signatory.
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