Collapsed buildings: Lagos warns block moulders

Speaking during an inspection tour to some block moulding industries in the State, the Acting General Manager of Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory, LSMTL, Engr. Olalekan Ajani said that the sensitisation and inspection exercise of building blocks industries across the State was to ascertain the quality of building materials, especially sandcrete blocks.

The inspection team included members of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria (NABMON) who accompanied LSMTL staff on the tour of block moulding industries around the Eti-Osa/Ibeju-Lekki axis.

The General Manager stated that sandcrete block is arguably the most important building material and must, therefore, be produced with quality components comprising water, sharp sand, cement and granite dust in the right proportion.

According to him, “We are continuing our inspection and sensitisation tour to block moulding industries to reiterate the importance of quality sandcrete blocks towards zero tolerance for building collapse in Lagos. We are telling them that block moulding is knowledge-based and technology-driven”.

“We are also sensitising the public on where to go and how to know a good sandcrete block. Very soon, makers of blocks that are of low quality and do not meet the specified standard will be identified and blacklisted”, he said.

Ajani advised the leadership of NABMON to be united in maintaining the Standard Organisation of Nigeria’s specified stock, such that unprofessional practitioners in the industry could be easily identified and closed down.

“Insist on quality instead of affordability in order to ensure the longevity of your building because, on the long run, the cost of using fake materials for building purposes is usually very devastating and far-reaching”, Ajani stated.