Tag: General News

Nigerian building engineers have argued that the use of bamboo technology for the construction of houses in Nigeria has not been approved by the government and that some construction engineers who apply the technology may abuse it.

The reactions followed a viral video clip seen by THE WHISLTER where the technology was applied in a building under construction in a location that is reportedly in Anambra State.

In the video, the builders used bamboo in place of iron rods to reinforce the concrete slab, column and beams in the building.

THE WHISTLER interviewed four construction experts who gave divergent views on the sustainability of bamboo when used for construction projects.

In many countries in South America and South Asia, it is common to see builders use bamboo as a construction material, particularly in India, China, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Folajomi Ibrahim is a construction expert who has experience in developing high-quality low maintenance properties. He said that there is no regulatory approval for the use of bamboo for such purpose in Nigeria.

Ibrahim explained that it is expected that for a construction site to be approved, the engineers must submit drawings and schematics of his projects to relevant authorities for approval.

He described the builders as people doing an expensive “experiment” which “doesn’t make any sense.”

Ibrahim said he is certain that no government agency would give approval for that type of experimentation.

He explained that “an average slab is about 150mm thick. That’s a solid slab. It has 20mm concrete cover at the top and 20mm cover at the bottom which is typical to most drawings I’ve come across by structural engineers.

“Now, it has 10mm running like this and 12mm running like this at the top and at the bottom. Top bars, bottom bars and now they have to be separate. So, you have 20mm at the top, 10mm, 12mm.

“You have 60mm to 66mm spacing in the middle to separate the top bars and the bottom bars because they’re not doing the same thing. Then, you have the top bars and the bottom bars that are 10mm and 12mm again. Then you have a concrete cover. Now, that’s a total of 150mm.”

Ibrahim said the size of bamboo is between 50mm and 150mm which would make the slab thicker if the standard concrete level is introduced.

He said bamboo is not strong when used as slabs, adding it may break. According to him, this fragile quality explains why builders use it in a vertical position.

Sharing his view, Mr. Edwin Onyeje, the founder of Knus Construction and Architect Ltd, argued that there is no design specifications yet for using bamboo for suspended slab, beams and columns for buildings.

Onyeje noted that the reasons why bamboos are not used in Nigeria is because it has different species and the characteristics of these species are not uniform.

He added that when using any material for construction, specific cautions are considered. For instance, the durability of the material, its ability to withstand pressure, fire outbreak, rainfall and adverse change in weather conditions

He said, “Now, talking about these design specifications, if you are using iron rods, as a reinforcement in your concrete, they have design specifications for it, but then for bamboo, this design specification does not exist yet, for that reason it cannot be used for this purpose now.

“Now, Bamboo has a tensile strength (maximum amount of load an object can carry) that supposedly would be good enough to serve as the reinforcement for a concrete. But why it’s not being used is that bamboo deteriorates in time. The characteristics, the tensile strength deteriorate with time.

“The life span of a building is 10 years, 15 years and so on, even if this bamboo is well preserved, it’s still wood. The chances that it would survive the attack of wood attacking pest for over 50 years is low. You are not just building a house to serve you for one year or two years. With time, the tensile strength, reduces, and every other characteristic of it reduces with time. Then this becomes a problem. In a sense that when you build your house, for example, the load of your building remains there the load on your building does not decrease with time with everything being equal.”

Onyeje said when pressure mounts on the building, it may be at risk of collapse.

Another building expert, Egunnaya Franklin Chinemerem, who owns Donatech Construction Service Ltd expressed a divergent view as he argued that bamboos are not as bad as people assume.

In his opinion, the use of bamboo is been critised by engineers in Nigeria and Africa who are not knowledgeable in the use of bamboo technology.

Unlike Onyeje, Chinemerem argued that the tensile strength of a bamboo outweighs that of an iron rod. But he clarified that in the context of construction, it is not all species bamboo that is suitable for building.

He said, “It’s safe, the tensile strength of bamboo is estimated at 30,000 pounds while the tensile strength of the iron rod used for decking is estimated between 23,000-25,000 pounds. So, bamboo is relatively stronger than the iron rod.

“However, not every bamboo is good for this, that fat and teen ones are not good but those small and mature sizes are okay, perhaps there are special species used for construction and they can be treated to withstand longevity. Also, the thickness of the deck is also enhanced using bamboo.”

He made an exception for the use of bamboo in areas like decking the last floor of a building because it will be exposed to rain, particularly for building that does not have sheet roofing.

He advised engineers to use sheet roofing, where bamboo is used for construction.

On the issue of building collapse, he said, “It depends on bamboo beams/pillars positioning. Some structures that lack pillars and adjusters or that the pillars are wrongly positioned will definitely fall regardless of the use of iron rod used.”

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A former Presidential Aide, Laolu Akande, has taken a swipe against a social critic, Aisha Yesufu, telling her to engage in serious discourse on social media instead of turning the social space into a platform for abusing people.

Akande was reacting to a post by Yesufu on her verified X account, formerly Twitter, where she rebuked former President Goodluck Jonathan over a statement attributed to him, saying, “Elections are over, we must move forward,” when he visited President Bola Tinubu in Aso Rock on Friday.

Yesufu, a staunch follower of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who condemned Jonathan for his statement quoted the publication that reported him with her X account and tweeted: “Jonathan still sees himself as that child without shoes. Perfect example of law of the lid playing out.”

But reacting via his X account, Akande, who also quoted Yesufu, told her that “Speaking truth to power” is “a key for a healthy democracy,” but “insults only weaken our critical messages

Akande tweeted: “Dear @AishaYesufu speaking truth to power is key for healthy democracy. Having been on both sides, I know accountability is vital, but insults only weaken our critical messages.

“Let’s engage in serious discourse that fosters change because there are more serious issues to sort.”

This tweet by the former presidential aide has attracted other X users’ attention, who supported Akande in his subtle approach to bringing normalcy into public discussion, especially as he called for the need to address issues and not attack personalities.

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Medical practitioners in Nigeria risk a five-year jail term or a fine of N500,000 if found guilty of denying victims of gunshot and related matters immediate medical treatment because they failed to present a police report.

The information is contained in the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act of 2017, which provides such victims the right to medical treatment with or without a police report.

Section 1 of the Act states that: “Every hospital in Nigeria whether public or private shall accept or receive, for immediate and adequate treatment with or without police clearance, any person with a gunshot wound.”

Section 11 further prescribes punishments for individuals who fail to adhere to the demands of the Act, stating:

“Any Person or authority including any police officer, other security agent or hospital who stands by and fails to perform his duty under this Act which results in the unnecessary death of any person with gunshot wounds commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of five years or both.”

However, Section 5 of the Act states that: “A hospital that fails to make a report as required under section 3 of this Act commits an Offence offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000.00 and every doctor directly concerned with the treatment is equally liable on conviction to for a term of six months or a fine of N100,000.00 or imprisonment or both.”

The measures were put in place to deter hospitals from rejecting gunshot or accident victims and to also ensure that treatment of such patients are reported to the police for investigations.

This followed rising complaints by Nigerians that hospitals refuse to promptly attend to gunshot patients who do not present police reports.

Recently, one Greatness Olorunfemi, a one-chance robbery victim and member of the Yali Network in Abuja, died following the alleged refusal of the Maitama General Hospital in Abuja to attend to her because she did not present a police report.

As a result of this, the Inspector General of Police on Saturday, October 28, 2023, ordered full enforcement of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017 to forestall future recurrence.

The Act also mandates security agents to assist persons with gunshot wounds by ensuring he or she is taken to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment, as contained in Section 2 of the Act.

The law elaborated such ‘Duty to assist’ in subsections (a) and (b) of the Act stating:

“Accordingly-
(a) A person with a gunshot wound shall be received for immediate and adequate treatment by any hospital in Nigeria with or without initial monetary deposit, and

“(b) A person with a gunshot wound shall not be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment or torture by any person or authority including the police or other security agencies.”

Also, the Act in Section 3, gives a caveat indicating that hospitals while providing prompt medical assistance to victims of gunshot or related matters, should report the case to the nearest police station within a stipulated period.

It states: “3. (1) A hospital that receives or accepts any person with a gunshot wound for treatment shall report the fact to the nearest police station within two hours of commencement of treatment.

“(2) Upon receipt of the report under subsection (1) of this section, the police shall immediately commence investigation with a view to determining the circumstances under which the person was shot.

The Act further prescribes in Section 4 of the Act that: “The police shall not invite any person with gunshot wounds from the hospital for the purposes of investigation unless the Chief Medical Director of the hospital certifies him fit and no longer in dire need of medicare.”

Section 6 of the Act, however, demands that an officer who receives a report from a medical facility under Section 3 (2) of the Act shall furnish the hospital on demand with the background information on the victim.

The offence of refusing to furnish the hospital with the needed information about the victim also attracts punitive action as contained in Section 7 of the Act which states:

“A person who fails, neglects or refuses to give the report required under Section 6 of this Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction, or a fine of N50,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both.”

Section 8 States: “Every volunteer or helper of a victim of gunshots shall be treated with respect and shall not be subjected to unnecessary and embarrassing interrogation in their genuine attempt to save life.

Section 9 States: “A person who commits an offence under this Act which leads to or causes substantial Persons guilty of physical, mental, emotional and psychological damage to the victim, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not more than 15 years and not less than five years without the option of fine.

Section 10 further noted that a hospital owes a duty to inform the family members or relations of gunshot victims within 24 hours of becoming aware of the victim’s identity.

In Section 12 of the Act, medical facilities are mandated to keep adequate records of treatments rendered to gunshot victims.

Section 13 States: “A corporate body that commits an offence under this Act, the head of the corporate body shall be prosecuted in accordance with the provision of sections 11 and 14 of this Act.

Section 14 (1) States: “In addition to any other penalty under this Act, the High Court shall order a person or corporate body convicted of an offence to make restitution to the victim by directing that person or corporate body to pay to the victim an amount equivalent to the loss sustained by the victim.

“(2) An order of restitution may be enforced by the victim or by the prosecutor on behalf of the victim in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action.

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The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has revealed that the ongoing quick-fix project at the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited, KRPC, will be back on stream by the end of 2024.

The Minister disclosed this during an inspection tour of Kaduna Refinery & Petrochemicals while assessing the progress of work on the ongoing quick-fix project of the Refinery in Kaduna on Saturday.

He was accompanied on the inspection by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari; NNPC Limited’s Executive Vice President, Downstream, Adedapo Segun; Executive Vice President, Upstream, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan; Managing Directors of the three refineries; and a host of other members of the Committee.

The inspection tour was preceded by the 14th Refineries Rehabilitation Steering Committee Meeting.

Lokpobiri said he is confident that the refinery will be restreamed by the end of 2024, considering the “significant level of progress” he has witnessed on the tour.

The Minister, who observed that he would continue to hold key players involved in the rehabilitation process of the nation’s refineries accountable, also pledged the Federal Government’s support in ensuring the timely delivery of the project.

According to the Minister, there is an urgent need to get the refinery back on stream for the nation’s economic prosperity and energy security, which are both paths to sustainable development.

Earlier in his remarks, Kyari, reassured the Minister that the fuel plant at the refinery will be delivered by the end of 2024.

Kyari said that all hands are on deck to bring the refinery back on stream, stressing that the contractor has since mobilized to the site and the needed equipment for the quick-fix activities is already in place.

“We are very confident that we will get the appropriate financing to get to the end of it, and ultimately, we will start to deliver value to Nigerians again.

“We plan the quick fix for 60,000 barrels per day so that we can start making money from this plant and we can continue the other part of the refinery to bring it up to its full-fledged capacity.

“This will also tally with the completion of the Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) on the pipeline so as to have a reliable pipeline delivery infrastructure,” the GCEO stated.

The Kaduna Refinery was commissioned in 1980 to supply petroleum products to Northern Nigeria with a capacity of 50,000 Barrels Per Day.

In 1983, the capacity was expanded to 100,000 BPD by adding a second 50,000 BPD crude train dedicated to the production of lubricating oils (lubes).

In 1986, the capacity of the first crude train was expanded to 60,000 B/D. The expansions have increased the current nameplate capacity of the refinery to 110,000 B/D.

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An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abubakar Aliyu Madaki, who is standing as a prosecution witness, PW13, in the trial of Ayo Fayose, former Ekiti State Governor on Friday, narrated how the ex-governor allegedly stole N1.2 billion.

Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited were first arraigned on October 22, 2018 before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, before being re-arraigned on July 2, 2019 on 11-count charges bordering on money laundering and stealing to the tune of N6.9bn.

In the case presided on Friday by Justice Chukujekwu Aneke at the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, the witness said the sum of N1,219,000,000 received by Fayose from former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, came from the imprest accounts domiciled in the office of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

Revealing further the investigation that left to this discovery, Madaki, led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, detailed: “The money was released from the imprest accounts in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, under the control of the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

“The claim by the first defendant that the N1,219,000,000 received from the former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, was the campaign funds from his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was investigated. In our investigations, we contacted the Peoples Democratic Party’s secretariat in Abuja. The party denied receiving any money from the National Security Adviser or from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

“The party also said it did not give any campaign money to Senator Musiliu Obanikoro to give the first defendant. So, the funds moved from Diamond Bank to Zenith Bank were clearly the funds that came from the imprest account, which was under the control of the office of the National Security Adviser to President Goodluck, Jonathan, Colonel Sambo Dasuki,” he said.

According to him, Fayose used the money and bought property worth N270 Million from one Rabiu Kundili in Abuja and also deposited, in a fixed account, the sum of N100 Million out of the N1.2bn.

He said between June 17 and 27, 2014, the sum of N150 Million cash was lodged into the bank account of the second defendant, Spotless Investment Limited, by Biodun Agbele, who was an aide to Fayose.

Madaki also told the court that the sum of N168 million was deposited into Spotless Investment Limited’s bank account on August 24, 2016 and that both Fayose and Agbele could not explain the source of the money deposited into the account of the second defendant.

After listening to the case, the judge adjourned the matter till November 24, 2023 for continuation of trial.

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