NEMA blames incessant building collapse on architectural designs

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has blamed incessant collapse of buildings caused by flood and other man-made disasters across the country on the poor architectural designs and the use of inferior building material, ineffective building codes as well.

Speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of a one day workshop titled ‘building community resilience through better laws and community-managed early warning system’ organised by NEMA, the  head of the Sokoto operations office, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello emphasised the need to educate the general public on the importance of early warning information.

Represented by his assistant, Thickman Tanimu, the head of the Sokoto operations office said, the attitude of neglect in ensuring effective building codes has resulted into the disasters of building collapse, the incident which had claimed the lives of sizeable number of people and properties across the country.

He stressed that the use of warning system has eventually required the adoption of a people-centred approach that focuses not only the science and technology behind the early warning, but also on the social and psychological aspects of early warning, eraly action, and on activities to build a culture of prevention rather than the short term response.

“Ensuring citizens’ safety is a primary responsibility of government, but must forge partnership with local leaders, civil society, the private sector, the scientific and academic communities, and the media to implement effective early warning system”, said Alhaji Bello.

In a shoot aside interview, the assistant head of the SOO, Thickman Tanimu, added that, the aims were also to enlighten the general public to consider number of signs naturally given by the some animals and birds on the possible attacks by any disaster around the communities.