Approved building code imperative to achieve goals ~ Hon. Uwom
By Ada Bufumoh
The honourable Commissioner for Housing in Rivers State, Hon. Marshall Stanley Uwom (JP) has said that collapsed structures could be traceable to the fact that developers/clients do not engage the services of requisited professionals for the execution of projects.
Hon. Uwom stated this last Tuesday at a press briefing in respect to the state building code at the ministry in Port Harcourt.
He recalled that the cycles of collapsed building few years ago had thrown up a lot of dust in terms of the haphazard happenings in the building construction sector resulting in economic wastage and loss of life.
The Housing boss disclosed that as a former member of the National council on Housing and Urban Development when the current national building code was adopted in 2006 as approved by the National Executive Council and the National council of states.
Hon. Uwom noted that since the adoption of the National Building code, major states in the Federation had adopted it, noting that through efforts by the Ministry of Housing assisted by the State government, machinery had been set-up for the domestication of the National code in the state.
“Todays event marks a major milestone in our march towards creating a more conductive and organized environment for housing and property development in the state”, Hon. Uwom said.
He disclosed that the ministry's major function was to formulate and implement housing policies for the state, adding that by this, provision of a building code would be stipulated, and minimal acceptable standards in building pre-design, and post-construction stages of all housing/building projects.
He said a re-constituted committee had been set-up with Barrister Ovunda O. Orij as chairman with relevant professionals and commended the committee for their excellent work.
Housing boss said, in furtherance of his ministry's belief in consultation, regular stakeholders meetings would be organized to express views on the code.
He gave the causes of collapsed building as poor workmanship ignorance, greed, incompetence and lack of consulting professionals which his ministry intends to discourage.
Hon. Uwom said the major challenges in the Housing sector was that professionalism had not been recognized and to that effect the building code would provide apparatus for monitoring quacks and impersonators.
