Abstract
This paper assessed some of the reported cases of building failures and their possible causes in Nigeria between 1977 and 2011. The reported major failure causes are structural failure (SF), Carelessness (CLSS), poor workmanship (PW), poor supervision (PS), poor materials (PM), and quackery (Q).These causes of failure were subjected to Chi-Square statistical test at 5% significant level and 4 degree of freedom to know the most common cause of failure in Nigeria. The analysis showed quackery as the principal culprit in the reported building failures in Nigeria with prevalence of 8 over poor supervision being the minimum in occurrence. Structural failure occurred 5 times, while poor materials, carelessness and poor workmanship occurred 4, 2 and 2 respectively. The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) with Engineering Regulation and Monitoring (ERM) as her arm as a technical professional group discouraging quackery and failures generally in Engineering Practice. The holistic approach needs effective training of Engineers starting with strong mathematical and scientific background at the secondary and tertiary education levels in conjunction with rigorous field and Industrial training exercises. There after effective scrutiny, professional registration process of competent engineers is followed.
Highlights
The term Engineer denotes a certified person by Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)that has received professional training in pure and applied sciences and adequate field/Industrial training [1].the name Engineer has often been misused without obtaining the necessary qualifications which has often resulted in consequences on engineering structures and services
The analysis showed quackery as the principal culprit in the reported building failures in Nigeria with prevalence of 8 over poor supervision being the minimum in occurrence
Indiscriminate engineering structures and services failures has characterised our generation because proper assessment of value engineering and its effective implementation is lacking in the building industry in Nigeria as observed by [2]
Summary
The term Engineer denotes a certified person by Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)that has received professional training in pure and applied sciences and adequate field/Industrial training [1].the name Engineer has often been misused without obtaining the necessary qualifications which has often resulted in consequences on engineering structures and services. Indiscriminate engineering structures and services failures has characterised our generation because proper assessment of value engineering and its effective implementation is lacking in the building industry in Nigeria as observed by [2]. Engineering failure may refer to service or structural failure of designed structures like machines, incessant electric power outrages, road failures, dam failures, boreholes, bridges, buildings, material failures, etc. Random sampling of some of these engineering structures/products designed and constructed by quacks would convince any casual observer that it would be preferable to have stability tests before using them for fear of possible failure. Typical examples are the failure of buildings either during or after construction being experienced regularly in our societies, incessant electric power outrages, water supply system failure, culverts, and drainages, etc. The Nigerian Engineer is undoubtedly credible but quacks have infiltrated this noble profession at all stages from design, construction and maintenance stages of the engineering structures and services as observed by [3]
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