NEWSPRESS STATEMENT

Lagos begins material testing to avert buildings collapse

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Taiwo Owoeye

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In a bid to avoid re-occurrence of building collapse, Lagos State Government has embarked on strict enforcement of building material tests before commencement of building construction in the State.

In this direction,the State government has decided to train 4000 artisans in different vocations as the first step to ensure that competent workers dominate the sector.

The State Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure,Ganiyu Johnson,disclosed at the 2016 Ministerial Briefing in Ikeja, that engineers have been moved to site to conduct test on structures in the State including those belonging to Lekki Gardens.

The Commissioner,said such tests, include,non-destructive,semi destructive, coring pundits,tensile,vertical electrical sounding ( resistivity test) to complement the geo-physical result at hand.

He explained that where the result was unsatisfactory,the clients would be duly informed and advised to rectify the anomaly and follow up visit carried out to ensure compliance.

According to Johnson,a post-mortem test known as the pile integrity test has also been conducted on the site of the five floor building that collapsed in Lekki on Tuesday March 8,2016,where lives were Lost and scores injured to certify the level of the materials used for the construction.

Also speaking at the First Ministerial Briefing,Commissioner for Housing,Prince Gbolahan Lawal said apart from the fact that competent artisans from neighbouring countries dominated building sector in Nigeria at the expense of their Nigerian counterparts,the number of available skilled workers are inadequate.

As a result of this inadequacy,government has decided to train 4000 artisans in different vocations as the first step to ensure that competent workers dominate the sector.

According to Lawal,the new policy initiative of the ministry,”Master Craftsmen Project”,which is intended to redress the dearth of skilled workers in the building industry such as masons,carpenters,steel fabricators,plumbers,electrians,painters,joiners,tillers and the likes is on ground.

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