Bayelsa deputy gov links building collapse to negligence

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Dr Peter Akpe, has attributed building collapses and failed projects in the state to the failure to engage qualified engineers and the compromise of professional standards.

Akpe stated this on Saturday when members of the Yenagoa branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Yenagoa.

He stressed that engineers had a critical role to play in the development of the state, particularly the New Yenagoa City project, describing them as “master planners” whose expertise was essential to achieving sustainable urban development.

The deputy governor said, “Most of these failed buildings are because professionals were not engaged or standards compromised.”

He urged engineers to uphold professional standards and use their expertise to support the rapid development of Bayelsa.

Akpe recalled the contributions of local engineers, including Engr Moses Dika and Engr Olice Kemenanabo, to the state’s gas turbine project, noting that the government held the engineering profession in high esteem.

He assured the NSE of government support for its programmes and advised the association to channel requests for training and other support collectively through its central body.

Earlier, the NSE Yenagoa Branch Chairman, Engr Eluanatein Mac-Jokori, sought government support for members to attend NSE and COREN training programmes, as well as assistance for engineering education and the construction of a 500-metre access road to the association’s Engineering Resource Centre.

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