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Abandoned buildings which fail integrity test will be demolished – FCT minister
Abandoned buildings which fail integrity test will be demolished – FCT minister
March 16 2020 -
The
Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has said integrity tests have
commenced on abandoned buildings and that those that fail the tests will be
demolished. The minister disclosed this when a delegation of the Nigerian
Institute of Building (NIB) led by its Third National Vice President, Bimbo
Kolade, paid a courtesy visit to the Federal Capital Territory Administration
(FCTA) at the weekend. Malam Bello commended the institute for the survey it
carried out on abandoned buildings in the territory. In a statement, the
minister’s spokesman, Mr. Anthony Ogunleye, quoted the minister as saying, "If
you look at the quantum of buildings, both public and private, within the FCT,
in terms of the period within which they were put up, I think no city in
Nigeria will match what has been put here, and all that has been done with
great collaboration by members of the building institute; and that’s why your
institute is very important in the socio-economic development of this great
country.”
Speaking on building collapse in the country, the minister charged members of
the institute to be firm and more professional when enforcing building rules to
earn credibility and acceptability from the public.
Malam Bello further said certain factors such as facilities for physically
challenged people, security and fire-fighting were being taken into
consideration in the construction of public buildings in the FCT, and charged
builders to insist on the inclusion of such facilities when constructing
buildings.
He added that, "I have seen quite a number of buildings here approved by the
relevant FCTA agencies, and I always ask them, these massive buildings with so
many shops, how are the people going to park their vehicles? In the event of
crisis, how can people be evacuated? So, I think we should go beyond just
trying to get the maximum utilisation of a square metre. "As an institution,
your code of conduct should make your members decide if a building shouldn’t be
built based on faulty design or faulty material or faulty location. Let your
members say they are not going to participate. I think if you are able to do
that, you will reach a certain level whereby people will have no option but to
believe in you.” The leader of the delegation, Kolade, implored the minister to
explore recommendations made by the institution in the report on building
collapse in the FCT.