According to Dr. Akinsola Olufemi, a building specialist, 95 percent of building projects in Lagos State fail to comply with statutory soil testing, putting them at risk of collapse.
“Effective Building Production Management Services: Integration of Construction Programme of Works and Building Construction Methodology in Building Project Delivery in Lagos State,” Olufemi said on Wednesday at the Builders Business Workshop.
The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Building organized the capacity building program to educate professional builders on construction methodology and industry best practices.
During the training, Olufemi said that a study undertaken by the Yaba College of Technology indicated that the vast majority of building projects in the state failed to comply with the state’s mandated soil testing requirements.
“A lot of structures in Nigeria are falling now because we don’t do things appropriately,” he remarked. Soil tests are not carried out in 95% of buildings in Lagos. I am the director of Applied Research, Technology, and Innovation at Yaba College of Technology’s Building Department.
“According to one of our studies, the majority of developers do not hire specialists, let alone conduct soil investigations.” Only high-profile structures are subjected to these procedures.
Olufemi also emphasized the necessity of construction process, adding that it had now become a must before construction projects could begin.
“On-site construction approach is a critical component that every contractor must have. A contractor, on the other hand, would submit construction methodology to an awarding body. It allows them to demonstrate that they have a clear idea of what they want to do. If a doctor wishes to do surgery, he or she must first complete the surgery plan. Before the doctor may enter the ward to do the surgery, top members of the organization will review his plan, make revisions, or approve it. The construction approach is the same.”
According to him, the methodology provided as a functional template that allowed regulatory bodies to assess a project’s strengths and potential flaws.
“I’ll know how you want to handle it when you provide your construction methodology.” If there is something wrong with your layout and design, the construction process will bring it out.
Take the Fourscore project for example: if the owner had produced a construction approach and presented it to LABSCA, they would have discovered that certain things he was doing were not feasible. It is now one of the documents that the Lagos State Government requires for all construction projects. It’s in the builder’s contract.”
He emphasized the importance of incorporating the concept into present academic curricula to assist builders in training in becoming familiar with industry best practices.
“The curriculum we’re utilizing is a bare-bones approach. It’s referred to as a minimum-based benchmark. We are not practicing what we were taught in school. Last year, we upgraded the building curriculum, and all of these publications are included. They were not in the past. It means they must begin teaching these subjects from the beginning of the school year, which were not offered when we were in school.”
