Nigeria’s Urban Gas Distribution Plan Runs Into A Hitch?

Nigeria’s urban gas distribution plan targeting efficiency and convenience in gas utilisation, may have run into a hitch, The Eagle can report.

The hitch is as a result of some prevailing circumstances in the Nigerian building environment where basic and critical building codes are not adhered to.

The National Building Code provides guidelines for building design, construction, and post-construction, but experience has shown that developers usually observe such codes in breach.

This much was indicated by a Technical Working Group (TWG) of National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) and the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON).

A Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Amb. Nicholas Ella, while inaugurating the group, had thrown light on likely impediments to the realisation of the Urban Gas Distribution Plan.

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He referenced the National Building Code as providing guidelines for building design, construction, and post-construction stages, but which are not followed to the latter.

“Most modern cities in developed countries have evolved to energy smart cities where energy, specifically gas and other utilities are piped to districts and estates.

“However, one of the key tools in creating energy smart city is the National Building

Code which, in essence, sets the guidelines on Building Pre-design, designs, construction and post-construction stages,” he said.

Reticulated gas systems he said allows for metered gas supply, similar to water and electricity services, eliminating the need for frequent manual refills which result in undue wastages and even risk.

The above resonate with the contention of a gas expert, Engr Joe Nwasike in an interaction with our correspondent several years back where he extolled Nigeria’s gas potentials, adding that the best way to go was piping gas.

These imply that Nigeria’s Urban Gas Distribution plan must be effective for the expected benefits to accrue.

The Eagle also reports that as desirable and key as the national building code, it is however afflicted by a number of problems.

Problem With The Nigerian Building Codes

Some of the problems as already enunciated in many quarter include

1. Lack of Awareness: Many stakeholders, including developers, contractors, and building professionals, may lack awareness of updated building codes and standards, leading to non-compliance and safety risks.
2. Enforcement Gaps: Weak enforcement mechanisms and corruption within regulatory agencies contribute to widespread non-compliance with building codes and standards, undermining efforts to ensure safety and quality in construction projects, and

• Resource Constraints: Limited availability of skilled professionals, inadequate infrastructure, and economic constraints pose significant challenges to implementing and enforcing building codes and standards, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

-additional reporting by buildingpractice.biz