Building collapse: Proper use of concrete is key

The use of concrete is not new and the issue of building collapse is the misapplication or misuse of the elements that form concrete.

Concrete is not an ordinary material. It is fundamental in building construction.

Many people don’t understand that it is not just to add cement to stones and sand to get concrete, or to increase the amount of cement and get concrete.

Many things need to be considered; the quantity of water, how many times you mix, how fluid the concrete is, and also the time it would take between the mixing and the application, and whether you have to vibrate the concrete etc.

There are also a lot of technologies, developed both locally and internationally, to increase the workability, the durability and the strength of concrete.

We are fortunate that now Nigeria produces its own cement so that has really helped to see to it that all the cement we use is of high quality, and therefore all our cement companies are helping in educating Nigerians on the proper use of cement.

So NIOB and COREN are doing the right thing but within the industry, many people are doing things that they are not authorised to do.

So such quacks that are not licensed are not allowed to operate in the industry.

Regarding Nigeria’s water level, looking at where we are in sub-Saharan Africa compared to countries further north where the water level is quite deep such that you have to dig deeper before you find water.

In many of our localities here however, within two meters of digging you find water, so if you have a one-storey building or so two meters into the foundation, in Abuja maybe you can go 30 meters with a borehole before you find water but in some places it is quite shallow, but with technology there are many ways to improve both concrete and wood in order to hold up and sustain building.

Nasiru A. Dantata is Executive Director, Dantata & Sawoe Construction Co. (Nig.) Ltd.