Geoscientists Describe Ikoyi Building Collapse As Avoidable Mishap

Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) and Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) have described the Gerrard building collapse in Ikoyi, Lagos as an avoidable mishap.

This is contained in a statement jointly signed by the Registrar of COMEG, Prof. Zacheus Opafunso and Mr Alabo Charles, the President of NMGS on Friday in Abuja.

They said as stakeholders in the construction industry, they were sad about the recurrent incidents of building collapse in Nigeria.

They said success of any construction project depended on the underlying foundation soil.

“Soils have myriad of dynamics which can be at play and affect substructures even when foundation type might be right such as seismicity, liquefaction and these dynamics are best studied and investigated by geoscientists.

“In the advent of disasters such as these, study of the subsurface in relations to the phenomenon is of importance and these fall strictly in the purview of geologists.

“We hereby use this medium to appeal and call the attention of all concerned to the relevance of professionals under the NMGS and the regulatory powers of the COMEG in civil constructions.

“It is hoped that the findings and lessons learnt from this exercise will assist the government to formulate a better response to building development and ensure that civil projects serve their full design life in continuous safety,” they said.

The bodies applauded the swift response of the Lagos State Government in the search and rescue operation and investigation into the cause of the disaster, adding that “no building is worth the loss of a single life’’.