Gombe — In furtherance of its crusade against building collapse and the phenomenon of fire outbreaks, the Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB), says before any building will be commissioned, it must be accompanied by a manual booklet that guides the proprietor on the maintenance of the structure and the electrical installations in the building.

The assertion was made by the Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), who doubles as the Chairman, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Professor Akin Akindoyeni, during the inaugural ceremony of the Gombe State Chapter of the NIOB.

He attributed most of the disasters involving building collapse and trapping of occupants in the event of fire disaster to the failure of engaging the services of experts, arguing that if professionals were involved, the manual guide would be produced and that reduces the rate of unexpected eventualities.

The professor also hopes that the Gombe state government would accelerate the process of enacting laws that could enforce the use of building codes as well as qualified engineers.

In a paper presented at the occasion by the national Vice President of NIOB, Engineer Da-challong Jambol, he stated that the production of a national building code had became a source of pride to all stakeholders because it served as a technical guide.

He explained that the passion of obtaining an academic qualification was not enough to qualify one for practice but that any practitioner must be registered by the professional body.