Stakeholders Move to Tackle National Grid, Building Collapse
Ayodeji Ake
Members of the Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (INDT), recently converged on Lagos to brainstorm workable solutions to prevent public infrastructures from collapsing.
Speaking at a two-day conference of the Institute Nigeria themed, ‘The Role of Non-Destructive Testing in Preserving and Optimising Critical National Assets and Infrastructure’, the President of INDT, Michael Adegbite, said functional infrastructure was imperative for the optimum performance of industrial plants and manufacturing and for providing services that support the entire.
“This is a testament to INDT being a learning community that is solution driven, continuously improving quality and constantly seeking ways/means of ensuring asset integrity. Today, our nation is bewildered by a vast infrastructure deficit crucial for sustainable industrial growth and economic development.
“This is further exacerbated by frequent failures and collapse of the few existing assets, which are mostly aged and have contributed immensely to industrial growth and socio-economic relevance among the League of Nations,” he stated.
According to him, the conference was aimed at deliberating on issues and challenges eroding productivity, performance efficiency, and nationhood, noting that workable solutions, bankable ideas and innovations would be provided.
In his remarks, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, represented by Commodore Igbani Agwo, tasked the Institute to set standards and enforce regulations in the industry, stating that the incessant collapse of the National Grid calls for concern and serves as a genuine wake-up call for professionals.
“The non-destructive testing plays a crucial role in making sound engineering construction decisions and could shape the ecosystem of infrastructure development, setting safety standards and proactively safeguarding buildings, assets and facilities to improve the quality of life of Nigeria.
“The Institute of Non-Destructive Testing Conference is uniquely important as the nation strives for sustainable growth and development of infrastructure and critical national assets, while minimizing the rates of catastrophic failures of structures through the implementation of best practices in non-destructive testing,” he declared.
