The lawmaker representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Seriake Dickson, has called for effective enforcement of building regulations, as well as the engagement of professionals in the building and construction industry to prevent cases of building collapses across the nation.
Senator Dickson made this known during plenary while reacting to a motion moved by Senator Diket Plang from Plateau-Central, on the two-storey building collapse of Saint Academy in Jos, Plateau State, which claimed the lives of 22 students and members of staff, while over 100 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Plang in his lead debate, which was seconded by Senator Adams Oshiomhole from Edo North, recalled how the sad incident disrupted the lives of many parents, families and the government of the state.
In his remarks, Senator Dickson, who lamented that building collapse has become a trend which has escalated with many cities across the country recording high numbers of building collapse cases, urged the Senate to direct its relevant Committees to interface with the concerned government agencies and stakeholders to devise effective measures to address the menace.
Consequently, the Senate recommended stiffer penalties for violators of construction and building codes in the country, stressing that such punishment must be administered to all individuals in the line of a failed structure, including the architects, engineers, and the owners of the affected property.
A minute of silence was also observed by the lawmakers in honour of those who died in the tragic school building collapse, while the lawmakers urged the National Emergency Management Agency to send relief materials to families of victims and those affected by the incident.
