By Angela Atabo
Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) has called for stricter adherence to professional standards, greater use of qualified civil engineers, and enhanced quality control of construction materials to tackle building collapses.
They made the call in Abuja on Thursday at the 25th NICE Anniversary themed “From Vision to Value, 25 years of Civil Engineering Excellence in Nigeria and Construction Expo Africa 2026”.
The Deputy National Chairman of NICE, Prof. Sonny Ali, said that substandard materials, non usage of professionals among others remained the bane of building collapse.
Ali urged the public to prioritise quality, emphasising the importance of engaging professionally registered civil engineers, especially now that people expressed concerns over substandard building materials in the markets.
According to him, qualified engineers possess the expertise to identify defective materials, make appropriate design adjustments where necessary, and ensure that construction projects remain safe and structurally sound.
“I advise Nigerians to build once, build right. Do not be penny wise, pound foolish. Use professional civil engineering.
“Nigerians should patronise qualified civil engineers. I am talking about professionally registered civil engineers because they know and they will easily identify when materials are not right and tell you.
“If you have 14mm in place of 16mm, they will identify that. And they will be able to recalibrate the design and redesign. If it is 14mm you have, you redesign.
“If you engage the right professionals, they are trained to know when materials are below standard and when substitutions can safely be made.”
Speaking on the 25th anniversary of NICE, Ali said the institution has witnessed remarkable growth in professional practice, intellectual development, and collaboration with government over the past two and a half decades.
“The journey has been from one level of glory to another.
“The practice of the profession has improved, our intellectual capacity has improved, and our relationship with government has improved. Our members are getting better on a daily basis.”
Also speaking, Mr Samson Opaluwah, the Chairman of Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), praised NICE for its contributions to national infrastructure development over the last 25 years.
“Whenever engineering is discussed in Nigeria, attention naturally goes to infrastructure, and most of these infrastructure are delivered by civil engineers,” he said.
Opaluwah noted that roads, railways, buildings and other critical infrastructure have played a major role in driving national development, acknowledging some challenges that need to be addressed.
“Our roads and buildings still require major improvements. Engineers must continue to work harder to meet the nation’s growing infrastructure needs,” he stated.
He also appealed to the government and the public to support professional engagement at all levels of project delivery.
“We need the support of the populace in ensuring that professionals handle professional activities at the political, operational and tactical levels,” he added.
The Keynote Speaker, Prof. Samson Duna, who is also the Director-General of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), said that research conducted by NBRRI revealed that over 80 cases of building collapse, substandard materials ranked the highest.
Duna said that other contributing factors identified in the study to include design errors, inadequate geotechnical investigations, and poor construction practices.
He emphasised the need for rigorous quality assurance procedures, stressing that materials such as cement, aggregates, steel reinforcement, concrete blocks, timber, bitumen and asphalt should undergo proper testing before use.
The NBRRI D-G highlighted the institute’s advanced testing facilities and urged stakeholders to make greater use of accredited laboratories for material verification.
He also called on government agencies and professional bodies to strengthen regulatory oversight and conduct periodic inspections of manufacturers and suppliers.
“Professional bodies should come in. A body like NICE should periodically come up with a jingle to educate the society how do we know a material that is standard .
“We need to have standard equipment to carry out the tests. Government should come up with policies with respect to standard material for use. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab