Collapse building: FG advises Nigerians, construction companies to ensure solid foundation

THE Federal Government, on Tuesday, admonished Nigerians, especially construction companies to ensure two meters or six feets deep foundations with a view to curbing the incessant collapse building in the country.

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, gave this advice in Abuja, while launching the 1st edition of the Engineering Subgrade Soil Atlas of Nigeria produced by the Nigerian Building and Roads Research Institute (NBRRI).

Dr. Onu, who therefore, identified research as the backbone of every veritable society and often translates into meaningful development when placed as a priority, further said that all the agencies under his purview have shown commitment and effort towards actualizing the overall objectives of the present administration agenda for transformation.

According to him, ” as an engineer, myself very conversant with the chemistry of soils, cements and other construction materials, let me advice that engineering soils are totally different from agricultural soils because construction is interested in the responses of these soils to extreme loading conditions acting as foundation or construction materials.

“The chemical nutrient to support plant growth are detrimental to engineering, hence, in all constructions, the top organic agricultural or geographical soils are scrapped and disposed.

“That is why NBRRI work involved boring to as deep as two meters or six feets and deep foundations go down as deep as 20-30 meters. Routine bungalow, one, two and three-storey building and road foundations are in the limit of 200 mm to two meters which informed the field operations of NBRRI. Therefore, this work must not be misconstrued or interpreted from another point, outside of engineering.

Earlier, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the agency, Professor Danladi Matawal, said implication of the availability of a Soils Atlas was that decision making for planning; design and construction could be expedited through prior knowledge of nature and types of soils to be encountered in a chosen location in the country right from conception stage.

He said there have been delays occasioned by insecurity due to insurgency in the North-East which prevented field works in these regions for four years.

According to him, “the long programme also implied that some results in the South-West had been muddled-up. In Oyo State, a large forest reserve for wild animals has prevented field work for fear of officers being attacked, while Lagos State provided special challenge of being mostly built-up posing lack of access problems and originality of the largely reclaimed sub-soils”.