The Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) is to train 100 artisans in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State to address building collapse.
Mrs Funmilade Akingbagbohun, Chairman of the branch, said at a news conference to unveil activities for its engineering week, at its secretariat in Ogba, that artisans played important roles in the construction industry.
She said that because of sensitive roles of artisans, their training and retraining were important to nipping building collapse in the bud, hence the move to begin the training in phases across local governments in Lagos.
“It is not only engineers that work on site, artisans are mostly the people we leave on site.
“We feel that we need to sensitise them to let them know the danger of not using the right materials so that we can avert building collapse.
“We are beginning the training tomorrow in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area and subsequently take it, every quarter, to other local governments,” she said.
The branch chairman explained that the slot would be divided into four to ensure that 25 bricklayers, iron benders, electricians and aluminum craftsmen would be trained in their categories to make them efficient.
She said that the presidents of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Building Collapse Prevention Guild as well as the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency were partners in the project.
She added that the training would begin on Wednesday in FESTAC Town, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area.
Akingbagbohun said that sustainable artisans’ training would boost the Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria.
She listed other activities for the engineering week of the branch to include a health talk on coping with depression on Thursday and an elders’ dinner on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NSE members later paid a visit to Touch of Love Lifting Hands Foundation, an NGO, for the welfare of elderly, widows and less privileged.
The chairman told NAN that processed foods, toiletries and other items donated by some partners would be given to the foundation alongside a donation of N100,000.00 from Ikeja NSE.
She said that the gesture was due to the passion of Ikeja NSE for humanity’s welfare.
Source: NAN