NIGERIAN MINING AND GEOSCIENCES SOCIETY (NMGS) AND
COUNCIL OF NIGERIAN MINING ENGINEERS AND GEOSCIENTISTS (COMEG)
JOINT PRESS RELEASE
“GERRARD ROAD BUILDING COLLAPSE: AVOIDABLE MISHAP’’
The President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) and the Registrar of the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) have described the Gerrard Road Building Collapse on Monday, 1 November 2021 as an avoidable mishap.
They both declared this in a statement released on Wednesday, 3 November 2021 in Abuja on behalf of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences society (NMGS) and the Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG). They expressed their condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident. They applauded the swift response of the Lagos State Government in the Search and Rescue operation commending the government for moving quickly to investigate the cause of the disaster as no building is worth the
loss of a single life even as Lagos State being a mega city is expected to be replete with superstructures.
The statement declared NMGS and COMEG as professional body and regulatory agency respectively, who are the first point of call for any construction project as the geotechnical properties of soils ultimately determine the type of foundation and structures that can be safely placed on any soil. As stakeholders in the construction industry, NMGS and COMEG are saddened by the recurrent incidents of building collapse in Nigeria.
They stated that while they appreciate the setting up of an independent panel by the Lagos State Government, they advised that professionals from the NMGS be included on the panel. This is particularly important in view of the following:
- The success of any construction project is dependent on the underlying foundation soil.
- Soils have a myriad of dynamics which could be at play and affect substructures even when foundation type might be right such as seismicity, liquefaction etc. and these dynamics are best studied and investigated by geoscientists.
- In the advent of disasters of this nature, studies of the subsurface in relation to the phenomenon is of importance and these falls strictly in the purview of geoscientists.
‘’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 would assist government to formulate a better response to building development and ensure that civil projects serve their full design life in continuous safety’’.
Thank you.
NMGS is the umbrella body of all professionals in Geosciences, Mining Engineering, Environment and Metallurgy while COMEG established through Act No. 40 of 1990 regulates the practice of all professionals in the sector.
Signed by
Alabo Charlesye D. Charles (NMGS PRESIDENT)
Prof. Zacheus O. Opafunso (COMEG REGISTRAR/CEO)
