COREN Wants Death Penalty for Quacks

Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN) yesterday canvassed capital punishment for anybody found having a hand in any incidence of collapsed building that often results in death and grievous bodily harm to the occupants and other people.
 
The proposal was made by Kashim Abdul Ali, COREN’s national president,  while leading a team of the nation’s engineers to participate in the on-going public hearing organised by the Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives exploring ways to stem the serial incidences of building collapse in the country.
 
 Ali, who expressed concern over the high incidences of building collapsed, urged the lawmakers to amend the Criminal Act to pave way for the death penalty for those who cause persons to die due to their reckless conduct.

He argued that the authorities need to emulate a country like Malaysia that has a similar law in place to curtail the ugly trend which, by COREN’s records, led to the untimely death of 229 and bodily harm to 548 Nigerians.
 
Ali, who blamed quackery as the main cause of building collapse, disclosed that his outfit is on the verge of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) aimed at bringing public officials who compromise builders to build substandard houses in a bid to enjoy pecuniary benefits to face the full wrath of the law.

The COREN chief who faulted the notion that poor cement quality in the polity is responsible for collapsed building noted that his outfit has been hampered by the law as it could not arrest and prosecute Nigerians that have been found indulging in the despicable act of developing structures that have caved in due to non-compliance with specification of building professionals.

He suggested, among others, construction institute to train manpower in the building industry, a cement fund and specification of cement grades to guide builders, inclusion of COREN members on the council of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) as well as enlightenment campaign via fliers, billboard, radio stations and television urging the citizenry to engage professionals in the building of houses.