NIOB harps on quality in construction process

The President, Nigerian Institute of Building, (NIOB) Kunle Awobodu, has announced that quality in building production, enhanced building performance and habitability are not chance events.

Awobodu made this remark at the professional development workshop of the institute titled ‘Sustainable building services practices: Enhancing performance and user satisfaction’ which had in attendance different stakeholders in the economy.

Some of the participants include former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; an engineer and a former President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Ibikunle Ogunbayo; and a builder and professor of building services at the Ahmadu Bello University, Ikemefuna Mbamali among others.

According to Awobodu, building services  include all that contributed to the comfort of users and utility of the buildings such as lighting and other electrical works, plumbing works and transportation systems in buildings such as lifts and escalators.

Awobodu noted that these systems gave major headaches to end users of buildings where designs and installation were not properly done.

President, NIOB declared that the workshop was designed to address these problems and to strategically position builders in the process.

However, Daniel highlighted the history and development of escalators and elevators, their design considerations, construction, operation and maintenance.

He explained that external elevators could be used in the environment only after careful consideration of relevant factors such as weather, power, among others.

The Chairman of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, who is also the current Vice-Chairman Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Kabir Bala commended the NIOB for organising the workshop in search for solutions to the problem of services in buildings.

On his part, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Babagana Mohammed, called for increased collaboration among the various professions in the construction industry.