Engineers were yesterday admonished to embark on aggressive sensitization campaign on the need for builders to ensure that competent professionals are engaged in building construction in order to stem the tide of collapsed of structures with their attendant woes.
Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Sen. Lekan Balogun, CFR, Alli Okunmade II gave this task in his Alarere residence when the newly inaugurated executive committee of the Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) paid him a courtesy visit.
In a press statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by the Personal Assistant (Media) to the Olubadan, Oladele Ogunsola, Oba Balogun’s concern arose from the reports of collapsed buildings that were becoming rampant in the state which he said couldn’t have been if experts’ advice and inputs were involved.
Olubadan expressed the view that the awareness and sensitization of the members of the public being canvassed would open the understanding of the people on the importance of professional inputs in building construction, stressing that, “some of the people are ignorant while some that are not ignorant want to cut cost. It is incumbent upon you to bring the people into the awareness of why you are very crucial to construction activities.
“By the awareness and sensitization, you would raise the consciousness of those that are ignorant while those who know but want to cut cost would know that no amount of money can equate a life that is lost in a collapsed building. Your new exco has started very well, going by the actions you have taken so far as reeled out by your Chairman and I can only pray for a resounding success for your team and the Society at large”, Oba Balogun added.
The Chairman, Engr. Adewale Ikotun earlier in his presentation said it’s customary of the Society to pay homage to the head of the traditional institution in any of the places of the Federation immediate an executive committee is composed to seek for royal blessings and support for its activities in such places.
Thanking the Olubadan for the opportunity to pay the visit, he disclosed that his committee had set out for actions immediately it was composed by making presentation sets of computers and accessories and solar panels to the Liberty Academy in Odo-Ona Elewe area of the metropolis to identify and lend support to the government on its free education policy.
Similarly, according to the Chairman of the chapter commonly referred to as Oluyole Chapter, the Society had concluded arrangements to give out wheel chairs to some of the residents that have challenges that require such to enable their mobility in addition to similar efforts to assist some of the handicapped students at The Technical University along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The Society, according to Engr. Ikotun equally noted with concern the incidence of collapsed buildings and disclosed its readiness to partner with the state government to wage war against the menace as he asked for the support and royal blessings of Oba Balogun in the onerous task ahead, promising to take the organization to a higher level during the two-year term.
Alongside Engr. Ikotun on the all Engineers’ visit were his Vice-Chairman, Secretary-General and Treasurer, Ifeoluwa Adedeji, Olaide Adegbayo and Florence K. Iorfa respectively. Others were Adeyinka Idris, Olusegun Adeyemi, Ijadunola Olusina, Akinsowon Okewole and Sadiq Rasheed.
