Victoria Mgbanwa
In a bid to curb the cases of school building collapse in the country, the Universal Basic Education Commission has said it will ensure all necessary steps are taken to build good school infrastructures that are solid and can stand the test of time.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, on Monday, at the training of staff of the commission’s department of physical planning, organized in collaboration with the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute and a private firm, Tectonics Engineering Group, and held at UBEC Digital Resource Centre, in Abuja.
Bobboyi, further explained that the commission was working with NBRRI through its Chief Executive, Prof. Samson Duna, and has also been working with the Council for Registration of Engineers in Nigeria for a few years to make sure that they are part of the monitoring teams at the state level.
He said, “We are dealing with a very strategic sector, children who are between the ages of five, six up to about 12 that are very vulnerable in any building collapse. We saw that when it happened in Jos.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that we take all necessary steps to build school infrastructures that are solid and can stand the test of time.
“For quite some time, the commission has had an elaborate monitoring system as far as the construction of educational infrastructure or school infrastructure is concerned.
“The Commission is working with NBRRI through its Chief Executive, Prof. Samson Duna, and the commission has also been working with the Council for Registration of Engineers in Nigeria for a few years to make sure that they are part of the monitoring teams at the state level.
“Instead of just looking at what is there and so on and so forth, it’s to go with the kind of gadgetry that can also help us to test the strength of the materials that are being used,”
The Director-General/CEO, NBRRI, Prof. Samson Duna, who was also present at the Event urged contractors to sit up instead of just constructing schools without following the required specifications.
He stated, “So I’m now throwing a warning to contractors involved in taking contracts in constructing schools without following the required specification. They should sit up.
“UBEC has come up with an idea of ascertaining the quality of construction material used on site. The quality of concrete needs to be specified and the contractor must adhere to it. If he didn’t use it, the UBEC staff visiting the site, they are expected to travel or to come with tools.
“And those tools will enable them to know if the contractor is using the right material. Both steel, which is a factory product, also confirm if the concrete used is in conformity with the design.”
