Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
In order to stem the tide of building collapse and lost of lives and property in the state and in the country at large, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), has inaugurated the Prevention Investigation And Failure Analysis Committee (PIFAC).
The state Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Benin Branch, Engr. Evukowhiroro Ojegba, while inaugurating the committee in Benin, said the rate at which buildings collapse nowadays is quite alarming and unfortunate noting that with PIFAC, such issue would be addressed.
” This instructions are coming from our National headquarters, from the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, who had instructed all state chairmen to set up PIFAC.
” PIFAC means, the Prevention, Investigation and Failure Analysis Committee, so that we would be able to prevent failure and other accidents that will result from failure of structures, production and others.
“The Committee set up and inaugurated today will be guided by the laws that are guiding the body. There is a bylaw that is guiding the body, and some of these rules are to ensure they do analysis to prevent failures.
“And whenever we have failures, they conduct investigation to know the root cause of the matter.
” The major aspect of Engineer is that Engineers should be in the site to prevent failures. Apart from that, one of their major roles is to ensure we flush out quackery from Edo state. Governments should not engage people that are not Engineers. Is unprofessional you see a lot of quacks parading themselves as Engineers whereas they’re not.
“We have been at the back for so long, but this time around, we are moving forward. For those who parade themselves as Engineers, and they are not, we will make our recommendations known to the governments and the bodies that would carry out the appropriate sanctions”, Engr. Ojegba said.
Responding while assuring the Engineers on how to carry out their works, the Chairman of the Committee, Engr. Dr. Ebuka Nwankwo, said what they are going to do is to advise the governments, stakeholders in the building industry and the society the best way to go.
He said,” This is an opportunity to serve the society. You know the impact and the implication of failures are much. The economy loss, loss of lives and properties, investment property, even the tax payers money.
“So, our job now is to take the place we should take in the society to advise governments, the public and all stakeholders in the environments.
“So, what we are going to do now is to make our voice heard, advise the public and stakeholders, go around to know if you have cases concerning infrastructural projects, let us know. We have the skills, expertise and capacity to do so.
“When we look at those things and advise you and the owners of the projects, and also advise governments at large, at the end of the day, cases of engineering failure will be reduced be it Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Petroleum Engineering will be reduce to the barest minimum level.