AGENE GODWIN , Benin
The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 5 Benin, Abubakar Mohammed has decried what he described as the ‘unwholesome’ activities of the National Association Contractors of Nigeria over the spate of collapsed buildings in the Country.
He said the conspiracy between contractors and building engineers are largely responsible.
The Police boss who stated this in Benin City, the Edo State Capital Monday while playing host to the executive members of National Association of Contractors who were in his office to seek collaboration between the body and security agencies however tasked the group to avail the police of any useful information regarding criminal activities of shylock contractors.
According to Abubakar, “We are law enforcement agents committed to enforcing the law. When you talk of building collapse, contractors know the cause and should be held responsible. If they adhere to the laid down rules buildings will not collapse rather contractors cut corners to maximize profit which eventually lead to this kind of disasters we have been witnessing in the construction industry.”
While lampooning the group, he warned “In terms of security, anybody whose building collapses, we will go after such person. Anybody selling sub-standard materials will face the full wrath of the law. We need information as quickly as possible in the construction industry.
President of the group, Hon Onuche Okoh, had earlier disclosed that over 75 collapsed buildings had been recorded in Nigeria in the last 3 years, lamenting that most Nigerians are unaware of the fact that buildings require to be re-enforced after 30 years.
Explaining reasons for the visit, he stated “We decided to embark on this visit because of the things happening in the Country today. We are visiting security agencies so that they can support us and we are looking into many ways contractors have failed so we want to collaborate with them to ensure efficiency in our activities.
