Month: October 2023

By Grace Alegba

Lagos:   The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) has called for creation of a ministry for testing buildings in Lagos State and annual updating of map to curb building collapse and flooding in the state.

NIS Lagos Branch made the call during its 2023 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) workshop with the theme: “Comparative Analysis of Building Information Model For Structural Health Monitoring,” on Thursday in Lagos.

The society also advised Nigerians to engage professional surveyors for documentations towards getting genuine Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to prevent loss of investments through collapse, flooding or forfeiture.

Chairman, NIS, Lagos Branch, Mr Olukolade Kasim, said the workshop was organised to train and retrain members for best standards to curb the menace of building collapse and flooding.

(L-R: Mr Femi Fatoki, member, Lagos Branch, Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS); Mr Adedeji Sebiotimo chairman, 2023 workshop planning committee; guest speakers, and others at the association’s 2023 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) workshop on Thursday in Lagos)

According to Kasim, the NIS usually collaborates with all the other six built environment experts including architects, engineers, builders, town planners, amongst others towards construction of solid structures.

He called for regular monitoring of infrastructure towards determining thier structural health and stability using modern tools like scanners to prevent faults that may develop underneath the earth crust.

He said regular monitoring of bridges and tall buildings was important, urging the Lagos State government to create a ministry attached to the Surveyor General’s office for the purpose of monitoring and testing buildings.

He explained that highrise buildings constructed with best globally accepted procedures and standards could become sick as a result of movement underneath the earth, hence the need for periodic tests.

He cited the example of a bridge at Bonny Camp area in Lagos which was noticed to have one of its pillars shifting before the government fixed the problem to avert collapse.

“We are recommending that bridges and tall ranking buildings should be monitored periodically,” he said.

Mr Adedeji Sebiotimo, chairman of the 2023 workshop planning committee, called for annual updating of the Lagos map for proper planning to capture new settlements.

Sebiotimo, a fellow of NIS and Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Branch, said updated mapping would reveal accurate topography of land either high or low as a determinant of what and where to build without the risks of flooding or collapse.

“And from the mapping results we will be able to know areas that have infrastructure or those lacking infrastructure in terms of roads or developments, a lot of things can be seen from the map,” he said.

He said in 2022, 320 surveyors registered for the workshop, but that 495 registered for the 2023 programme, aimed at exposing surveyors to current trends to reshape their knowledge and skills.

The guest speaker, Dr Joseph Odumosu, explained common errors made by civil engineers and other built environment professionals in trying to hijack the roles of surveyors.

He advised surveyors not to certify projects that they did not supervise to avoid being liable for unethical practices and failure of the structures.

Odumosu, a lecturer at Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, said scanners should be used for proper imagery of highrise as well as to determine the health of the buildings using new technologies.

The second guest speaker, Mr Awofeko Abiodun, said all states in Nigeria had GIS departments, which aims to strengthen Land Information System and Land Administration Systems, but he said publicity was needed for the public to harness opportunities.

The event had the sub theme: “Application of BIM in Strata Survey: Methodology and Presentation.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)/ Flowerbudnews

Edited by Salif Atojoko

By Danladi Ahmed

Abuja (Flowerbudnews): Kashmiris around the world are today, October 27, marking Kashmir Black Day in remembrance of the exact day in history, when Indian troops landed in their land.

Kashmir Black Day is an annual commemoration by Kashmiris across the world
to mark October 27 as ‘Black Day’.

Kashmiris around the world are demanding that International community, including
United Nations and it’s relevant Human Rights Machinery, Civil Society organizations, Media Houses and other defenders of Human Rights to fulfill their obligations towards besieged Kashmiris by playing their part to end the Indian rule of tyranny and oppression.

A document on the situation Kashmir made available to Flowerbudnews on Thursday in Abuja stated:

”Every year, the day is marked to express solidarity and support with Kashmiri people in their struggle for right to self-determination.

On 27 October 1947, invading troops of India landed in Srinagar on the premise of
an Instrument of Accession purported to have been signed by the then ruler Hari
Singh of the princely state of Kashmir a day earlier after virtually losing authority in the
face of a popular public uprising against the autocracy.

Informed sources on the situation Kashmir said that ”India has been severely violating
human rights in Jammu and Kashmir since last 76 years.’

UN Resolutions 47 of 21 April 1948, 51 of 3 June 1948, 80 of 14 March 1950 and 91 of 30 March 1951 and the UN Commission for India and Pakistan resolutions of 13 August 1948 and 5 January 1949 all indicate that the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.

”Numerous international, UN organizations as well as UN Special Rapporteurs to Indian Government have since reported gross violations of human rights in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

On 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status of Jammu
and Kashmir by illegally and unilaterally abrogating Article 370 and 35A of the Indian
Constitution thus dropping all pretense of acceding to a referendum.

”India’s proclamation has never been accepted by the UN, which still continues to list Kashmir
as disputed territory and subject to the Security Council’s self-determination resolutions.

The state of press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir has also been a matter of
concern for several years now. Since India revoked the region’s special status in 2019,
the situation has deteriorated significantly and journalists in Jammu and Kashmir are
facing intimidation and fear.

The spate of detentions and arrests of journalists in Jammu & Kashmir reveals the distressing pattern of the use of law to target innocent civilians as well as journalists. Kashmiris around the world have always called upon international community to take practical steps in order to stop gross human rights violations and facilitate a peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue as per UN Resolutions and aspirations of Kashmiri people.

Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have also been using pallet guns to
control protests and masses seeking freedom injuring hundreds and killing atleast 112
people followed by international outcry.

In 2020, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported
that Indian Forces are ‘maiming, blinding and killing people’ in Kashmir as they continue
to defy international norms by using pellet guns..

In October 1992, representatives from Asia Watch and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) travelled to Kashmir to document rape and other human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war by Indian security forces.

Rape is used as a means of targeting women to punish and humiliate the entire community. It was reported that Indian forces committed raped 882 Kashmiri women in 1992 alone.

The Humanitarian Law Project/International Educational Development documented more
than 200 cases of war rape from January 1994. Many cases are not reported because
of the shame and stigma associated with rape in Kashmir. Similarly thousands of cases
of killings of innocent civilians have been reported in Kashmir.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which India is bound to uphold, is explicit in stipulating that torture and arbitrary killings can never be justified. Amnesty International also reported this in their report ASA 20/17/93 on April 1993.

With deployment of approximately 900000 Indian Security Personnel, Jammu and Kashmir has been converted into world’s most militarized zone and the largest prison on earth.

Kashmiris around the world demand that International community including United Nations and it’s relevant Human Rights Machinery, Civil Society Organizations, Media Houses and other defenders of Human Rights to fulfill their obligations towards besieged Kashmiris by playing their part to end the Indian rule of tyranny and oppression.

Kashmir Black Day is an annual commemoration by Kashmiris across the world
to mark October 27 as ‘Black Day’.

On 27 October 1947, invading Indian troops landed in Srinagar, Kashmir to
embark upon an illegal occupation.

Since last 76 years, India has committed gross human rights violations which
have been globally reported by UN commissions as well as international media.

Resolution 47 (1948) adopted by the Security Council at its 286th meeting on 21
April 1948 asks restoration of peace and order and the plebiscite in the State of
Jammu and Kashmir.

On 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status of Jammu
and Kashmir by illegally and unilaterally abrogating Article 370 and 35A of
the Indian Constitution.

Since then, the situation has deteriorated significantly and journalists in Jammu
and Kashmir are also facing intimidation and fear. With deployment of approximately 900000 Indian Security Personnel, Jammu and Kashmir has been converted into world’s most militarized zone and the largest prison on earth. (Flowerbudnews)