GERRARD ROAD BUILDING COLLAPSE: AVOIDABLE MISHAP

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: 

  1. The success of any construction project is dependent on the underlying  foundation soil. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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)