Experts raise earthquake alert

chika ebuzor

May 29, 2015 9:09 PM

He said the government and relevant authorities should put preventive measures in place, so as not to be caught napping.

Experts raise earthquake alert.

Most people have believed that earthquakes cannot happen in Nigeria. The recent report released by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) says otherwise.

According to the President of Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Bldr. Kunle Awobodu, the country has experienced several tremor incidents in 1933, 1939, 1964, 1984, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2009.

To buttress his point, he cited the geological report that revealed a fault zone along Zungeru.

Calling on the incoming administration to act on the geological report, he said “To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The portentous signs are obvious. All efforts must be geared towards saving the nation from enormous calamity in the event of earthquake in future. Construction of bungalows should be encouraged at places where standard in higher structures could not be guaranteed. Design and construction of earthquake resistant buildings that possess adequate lateral load resisting systems should be promoted. A reliable mechanism for construction inspection should be instituted, if possible by outsourcing. Developers should be made to employ adequate number of qualified building professionals. Being proactive today is cheaper and saves huge losses in the future. Let the government invest in prevention by demolishing defective buildings for regeneration and ensure quality control of materials and labour force on sites, guided by prompt implementation of the National Building Code.”

He also decried the use of unqualified builders to execute construction jobs, stating that the influx of quacks in the building profession, has assumed a worrisome trend.

chika ebuzor