Structural Engineers Call for Urgent Review of Nigerian National Building Code

Bennett Oghifo

Structural engineers have called for an urgent review of the Nigerian National Building Code to eliminate what they determined as deficiencies responsible for building failure and collapse across the country.

The Nigerian National Building Code (NBC), which was published in 2006 and reviewed in 2016, revealed errors and unsafe recommendations and this faulty code will aggravate incidence of building collapses.

This is according to Engr. Olushola Sanni, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers (FNIStructE), in his presentation ‘Urgent Review of Nigerian National Building Code (Nbc) is Imperative’ at the annual conference and annual general meeting of the Structural Engineers, which was held in Lagos recently.

Another Fellow of NIStructE, Engr. Dr. Kehinde Osifala, in his presentation, ‘Emerging Tasks for Structural Engineering Practice in Nigeria’ said the need for a review of the National Building Code is that “the present National building code was acknowledged to have been based essentially on foreign codes which may not have direct relevance to our local environment.”

Engr. Sanni listed deficiencies of the current NBC 2006 edition to include: “Errors in Equations; High Live Loads; Missing Geographic and Environmental Data-Wind and Seismic Maps; and Unsafe Recommendations – Presumptive Soil Bearing Capacities.

He said the importance of geographic and environmental data in the code are: safety and risk mitigation; structural integrity; resource efficiency; and legal and insurance aspects.

His proposal for remedy is the establishment of “a committee for review; document the issues; public notice and recall; temporary suspension; revising the code; correcting errors through inclusion of missing data; safety enhancements; and legal review.

Other proposals for remedy are the “review and validation; public consultation; approval and adoption; republishing; communication and training; enforcement and compliance; periodic review.”

The stakeholders to be involved in code review, he said, are: government agencies; professional associations; academia; Architects and Engineers; local communities; insurance companies; and industry experts.

According to him, “the National Code of practice is the cornerstone of safety, quality, and reliability in the built environment. It is the foundation for designing and constructing structures that protect lives, property, and the environment.  “Adherence to the code is not just a professional duty but a legal obligation, and the accuracy of its contents is a prerequisite for ensuring the integrity of the built environment. The code is a testament to our commitment to the well-being of society and the advancement of our profession.” 

He said, “Addressing the errors and deficiencies in the National Code of practice is essential for public safety and the integrity of the built environment. This process should be transparent, comprehensive, and inclusive, involving a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the rectified code is reliable, up-to-date, and compliant with the highest safety standards.”

Sanni called on “all the stakeholders in the built environment in Nigeria to rise up to the challenge of reviewing the Nigerian National Building Code to achieve a national document for which we shall all be proud.”

In his presentation, Engr. Dr. Kehinde Osifala stated the “need to allow/encourage our professionals in the building industry to produce the most appropriate code suited to our environment. “That was not the case for the civil/structural section of the NBC, as the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE) has no input in the section.

“Because of the numerous errors in the present NBC code, in particular section 8 of the code relating to Civil/Structural Engineering. As a national pride, there is a need to ensure correctness and accuracy of its contents.”

He said, “One of the emerging tasks for the NIStructE is to set up a review committee to urgently review Section 8; Civil/Structural Design requirements of the National Building Code and to encourage other professional bodies to equally review their sections. All the reviews should be collated by a national body before it is passed into law.”

Engr. Osifala said, “The need for a National Building Code was hinged on the lack or absence of: Planning of our towns and cities; incessant collapse of buildings, fire infernos, and built environment abuses.”

Earlier at a press conference, Engr. Peter Osarodion Igbinuesu, President/Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers), advised Nigerian Structural Engineers to share experiences and expertise to advance their profession to enable them to contribute to the development of the nation.

“By sharing our experiences and expertise, we can collectively contribute to the advancement of our profession and ensure the safety and resilience of our built environment,” said Engr. Igbinuesu, 

The theme of this year’s conference was, “Emerging Tasks for Structural Engineering Practice in Nigeria.”