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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has pledged to collaborate with the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Bayelsa State chapter to avert building collapse in the state.
Chairman of the Council, Comrade Samuel Numonengi made the pledge when members of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Bayelsa State Chapter paid a courtesy visit to the leadership of the council at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Azikoro Road, Ekeki, Yenagoa.
Numonengi, who condemned the lack of adequate supervision of building constructions in the state by qualified builders, assured that the council would assist in creating the necessary awareness that would make the public know the appropriate professionals to handle building construction jobs.
He commended the Nigerian Institute of Building for giving students the opportunity to understudy professional builders to enable them get the requisite experience before graduating from higher institutions.
Earlier, chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Bayelsa State Chapter, Ahmed Baba Ahmed, who led other members of the state executive including student members on the visit, said the body needs the support of NUJ in enlightening the public on the imperative to get the services of professional builders to man building construction sites.
Ahmed lamented that professionals such as civil engineers, architects and others have usurped the duties of builders, stressing that chartered builders should be allowed to manage building construction sites as they are the right persons to translate building plans to reality.
He emphasized that the essence of insisting on using registered builders was to avert future building collapse in Bayelsa State, which he noted has the same terrain as Lagos State, which had experienced 341 building collapse out of 591 in the last 50 years.
The NIOB chairman stressed that for one to become a qualified builder, he must be a graduate of related discipline from the university or polytechnic, undergo tutelage under a builder and become chartered.
He called on the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to pass a law prohibiting building houses without the supervision of chartered builder.
