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| Rivers collapsed building designer, a quack, architect tells panel |
The Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Rivers State chapter, Mr Asomba Egbuonu, said on Thursday that the designer of the collapsed seven-storey building, Mr Benefeigaa Reuben, was not a registered architect.
Egbuonu made this remark while testifying before the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the state government to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the collapse of the building in Port Harcourt.
He stated that the building’s designer was registered by the NIA as of 2014 when the building plan was initially approved and in 2017 when the plan was revalidated.
Egbuonu noted that the designer had only a Bachelor of Science degree, which was not up to the minimum requirements for registration to become a member of the institute.
He stated, “The designer of the building plan is not an architect, because as of 2014, the designer had a BSc in architecture. The profession is unique and a BSc is not the professional degree required.
“Architectural training in higher institutions takes at least five to six years, which means that a professional degree of the MSc is the basic; the BSc is not a professional degree required in architecture.
“As of the time the young man got involved with the building plan, he had a BSc in architecture and the project was designed in 2013. As of that time, the designer was not fit for registration as an architect.
“The designer was not even an associate member when the revalidation of the plan was done in 2017.”
The state NIA chairman explained that for a prospective architect to be registered, he/she must have a master’s degree and two years of professional training under a certified architect.
“Even after getting your master’s degree, you still need to go through proper tutelage of two years minimum, because any error in the profession can lead to grave danger to safety of lives and properties,” he said.
Egbuonu, however, blamed the owner of the collapsed building, saying he should be held liable for the fate of his building and the attendant loss of lives.
He said, “The owner of the building is vicariously liable for that failure, because ab initio, he should have done due diligence to procure the services of a certified professional.
“If the architect was a professional, he would have made sure that all professionals he engaged in the construction were certified.”
A Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Prof. King Nyeke, who also appeared before the commission to throw more light on the possible causes of the building’s collapse, stated that the accident was occasioned by grossly inadequate chipping grade used for the construction.
He said, “I have gone to the site of the collapsed building to do my personal investigation and noticed that there was inadequate chipping grade used for the construction.
“The floors collapsed like a pack of cards and I wondered what could have caused such a collapse. The entire building buckled under the adverse situation of heavy load as a result of the use of substandard materials, cheap labour, faulty foundation and impact of the wind.”
A representative of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Tunde Osunibi, in his submission, said that the alleged builder of the collapsed building, Emmanuel Inyang, was not a member of the NIOB, as his name was not on the list of registered builders in Nigeria.
Osunibi explained that any building exceeding two floors must be insured.
He said, “Emmanuel Inyang, who is said to be the builder of the collapsed building, is not a registered member of the Nigerian Institute of Building, because his name is not on the list of registered builders in Nigeria.
“The building in question was seven-storey high, and by the provision of Section 64 of the Insurance Act, 2013, the building was supposed to be insured. Any building above two floors is supposed to be insured, because failure to do so is a contravention of a federal law.”
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Egbuonu made this remark while testifying before the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the state government to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the collapse of the building in Port Harcourt.
He stated that the building’s designer was registered by the NIA as of 2014 when the building plan was initially approved and in 2017 when the plan was revalidated.
Egbuonu noted that the designer had only a Bachelor of Science degree, which was not up to the minimum requirements for registration to become a member of the institute.
He stated, “The designer of the building plan is not an architect, because as of 2014, the designer had a BSc in architecture. The profession is unique and a BSc is not the professional degree required.
“Architectural training in higher institutions takes at least five to six years, which means that a professional degree of the MSc is the basic; the BSc is not a professional degree required in architecture.
“As of the time the young man got involved with the building plan, he had a BSc in architecture and the project was designed in 2013. As of that time, the designer was not fit for registration as an architect.
“The designer was not even an associate member when the revalidation of the plan was done in 2017.”
The state NIA chairman explained that for a prospective architect to be registered, he/she must have a master’s degree and two years of professional training under a certified architect.
“Even after getting your master’s degree, you still need to go through proper tutelage of two years minimum, because any error in the profession can lead to grave danger to safety of lives and properties,” he said.
Egbuonu, however, blamed the owner of the collapsed building, saying he should be held liable for the fate of his building and the attendant loss of lives.
He said, “The owner of the building is vicariously liable for that failure, because ab initio, he should have done due diligence to procure the services of a certified professional.
“If the architect was a professional, he would have made sure that all professionals he engaged in the construction were certified.”
A Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Prof. King Nyeke, who also appeared before the commission to throw more light on the possible causes of the building’s collapse, stated that the accident was occasioned by grossly inadequate chipping grade used for the construction.
He said, “I have gone to the site of the collapsed building to do my personal investigation and noticed that there was inadequate chipping grade used for the construction.
“The floors collapsed like a pack of cards and I wondered what could have caused such a collapse. The entire building buckled under the adverse situation of heavy load as a result of the use of substandard materials, cheap labour, faulty foundation and impact of the wind.”
A representative of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Tunde Osunibi, in his submission, said that the alleged builder of the collapsed building, Emmanuel Inyang, was not a member of the NIOB, as his name was not on the list of registered builders in Nigeria.
Osunibi explained that any building exceeding two floors must be insured.
He said, “Emmanuel Inyang, who is said to be the builder of the collapsed building, is not a registered member of the Nigerian Institute of Building, because his name is not on the list of registered builders in Nigeria.
“The building in question was seven-storey high, and by the provision of Section 64 of the Insurance Act, 2013, the building was supposed to be insured. Any building above two floors is supposed to be insured, because failure to do so is a contravention of a federal law.”
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