The National Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), on Thursday, sought the federal government’ approval to enforce and ascertain the quality of construction materials.
The Director General of NBRRI, Mr Samson Duna, made this appeal on Thursday in Abuja at the ongoing conference series on construction practices in Nigeria.
Duna said one of the ways to empower the institute was through a law that would compel a fraction of the cost of construction materials imported or manufactured in the country to be given to the institute.
“With proper empowerment from government, it will go a long way in reducing the rampant cases of building failure associated with the use of substandard construction materials.
“The Institute has clearly distinguished itself by bringing out some meaningful research outputs and innovations all targeted at providing a wide array of accessible and affordable alternatives to existing technologies,” he said.
Duna said that the collapse of buildings had been linked to the use of substandard construction materials, adding that government should empower the institute to enforce and ascertain the quality of construction materials.
He said adopting and strategically deploying the NBRRI Dismantle Housing (NDH) programme could be a significant part of a sustainable solution to housing delivery problems for Nigeria.
This according to him, becomes necessary, especially where there is limited time duration and budgetary constraints.
The NBRRI D-G said for the industry to grow, innovation was a critical factor in order to achieve economic growth and boost competitiveness in the sector.
