Falana carpets engineers over building collapse

November 29, 2013 by Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

 Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN,  has tasked the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria to do more to stop the incidence of building collapse in the country by rising against quack builders who he said had taken over the construction industry.

Falana, who offered to assist the council to prosecute unqualified builders free of charge, stated that quack builders could face 25 years jail term on conviction, noting that many foreign construction firms bring into the country unskilled labour whose duty were  to fetch water and carry sand at construction sites.
Speaking at the 13th induction and investiture ceremony for 201 CORBON  members in Abuja, on Friday, the lawyer also charged the council to liaise with the Attorney-General of the Federation to prosecute quack builders whom he blamed for the high incidences of building collapse in the country.
He said, “Quack builders are having a field day and the government is awarding contracts to foreign quack builders because they are using them to launder money. I’m particularly sad that in a country where thousands of people are looking for jobs, including your children and my children, we allow quack Chinese and Indian builders to bring into the country those fetching water and carrying sand.”
The lawyer observed that the culprits of buildings building were walking free because CORBON did not enforce the law against those giving it a bad name, noting that the council had failed to live up to expectation.

source: punch