CHALLENGES IN CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION IN NIGERIA: CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITIES, PUBLIC

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CHALLENGES IN CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION IN
NIGERIA CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITIES, PUBLIC
CORPORATE BODIES

• By
• Engr. Olugbenga Olajubu
• B.Eng.(IL) M.Eng. (IL), M.N.S.E COREN
  Reg.C.E.O. Lajub Nig. Ltd

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INTRODUCTION

• Civil engineering is a professional engineering
  discipline that deals with the design,
  construction and maintenance of the physical and
  naturally built environment, including works such
  as bridges, roads, canals, dams and buildings.
  Civil engineering is the oldest engineering
  discipline after military engineering it was
  defined to distinguish non-military engineering
  from military engineering. It is traditionally
  broken into several sub-disciplines including
  environmental engineering, geotechnical
  engineering, structural engineering,
  transportation engineering, water resources
  engineering, materials engineering, coastal
  engineering, surveying, and construction
  engineering. Civil engineering takes place at all
  levels in the public sector from local
  governments through to federal levels, and in the
  private sector from individual homeowners through
  to corporate organizations.

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INTRODUCTION CONTD.

• Engineering has been an aspect of life since the
  beginnings of human existence. Civil engineering
  might be considered properly commencing between
  4000 and 2000 BC in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
  when humans started to abandon a nomadic
  existence, thus causing a need for the
  construction of shelter. During this time,
  transportation became increasingly important
  leading to the development of the wheel and
  sailing.
• The construction of Pyramids in Egypt (circa
  2700-2500 BC) might be considered the first
  instances of large structure constructions. Other
  ancient historic civil engineering constructions
  include the Parthenon by Iktinos in Ancient
  Greece (447-438 BC), the Appian Way by Roman
  engineers (c. 312 BC), and the Great Wall of
  China by General Meng T'ien under orders from
  Ch'in Emperor Shih Huang Ti (c. 220 BC). The
  Romans developed civil structures throughout
  their empire, including especially aqueducts,
  harbours, bridges, dams and roads.

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INTRODUCTION CONTD.

• Until modern times, there was no clear
  distinction between civil engineering and
  architecture, and the term engineer and architect
  were mainly geographical variations referring to
  the same person, often used interchangeably. In
  the 18th century, the term civil engineering
  began to be used to distinguish it from military
  engineering.
• Civil engineering today deals with bridges,
  roads, buildings, railways, airports, seaports,
  water supply, irrigation, dams, environmental
  sewer flood control, transportation,
  telecommunications and traffic to mention a few.
  In essence, civil engineering maybe regarded as
  the profession that makes the world a more
  agreeable and comfortable place to live.

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INTRODUCTION CONTD.

• The aim of this lecture is to examine the
  challenges in civil engineering construction
  practices as it operates in Nigeria. It is
  therefore essential to understand what
  construction practice means. Wikipedia describes
  construction as a process of building or
  assembling of infrastructures like buildings,
  roads, airports, and others earlier mentioned.
  It involves planning and execution of designs
  produced by architects, engineers and other
  professionals like quantity surveyors. It is not
  a single activity. It is multifaceted. The
  knowledge and experience required for each
  project vary it depends on the size, location
  and complexity of the project.

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INTRODUCTION CONTD.

•  
• Construction practices in a developing country
  like Nigeria differ significantly in important
  aspects from practices in industrialized or
  developed countries. Even in Nigeria, the
  greatest challenge facing professionals in the
  field is that the practice of construction is not
  uniform. It varies with the client, size or
  complexity of the project from the perspective of
  the owners. In order words, construction practice
  is the process of handling the whole project from
  conception to completion. Construction practice
  cannot be limited to actual construction. It
  involves design, approval and planning which we
  refer to as Pre Contract then the physical
  construction and maintenance, which we refer to
  as Post Contract. For the purpose of this
  lecture, the discussion will be limited to
  construction activities of the following clients

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INTRODUCTION CONTD.

• Private individuals
• Corporate organizations
• Government (Local, State, Federal)
• Universities

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PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS

• These constitute the highest percentage of
  clients in Nigeria. The projects handled under
  this category are mainly buildings of various
  sizes, storm water drainage, access gates to
  estates, petrol stations e.t.c. We also have a
  vast majority of small building renovation
  projects such as addition of a room or renovation
  of a bathroom.
•  

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1.1 DESIGN

• The Local Government Town Planning Authority is
  the prescribed authority with jurisdiction over
  approval of designs. A private individual
  contacts an architect or draughtsman to put up
  the drawings and submit for approval. The
  requirements for approval of new developments are
  not stringent for residential bungalows. For
  multistory buildings, a signed structural drawing
  must be included with the architectural drawings.
  Services drawings are not considered important.
  Other developments like petrol stations attract
  additional requirements, but there is no
  uniformity. The omission of these details put the
  projects in precarious situations because the
  developer or contractor will have to use his
  initiative and experience where detailed drawings
  are not available.

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1.2 PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

• In most cases, there is little or no planning. At
  this stage, there is the need to consult a
  quantity surveyor, whose duty is to calculate the
  overall cost of the project and advice the owner
  on material and labour requirements for each
  stage of the project. Most private individuals do
  not see the need for this stage. In most cases,
  these types of construction works are residential
  bungalows for personal use. The owner contracts a
  bricklayer or carpenter while he and his family
  act as labourer, paymaster and design team for
  the whole project. The absence of concrete
  financial planning is a major challenge to both
  the homeowner and contractor. Most times such
  projects are not completed in good time some are
  abandoned and sold later to a buyer who does not
  know the quality of work done on the project. The
  cycle continues. In some cases however for the
  very literate private house owner, a professional
  is brought in on unofficial basis to advice on
  specific areas when they run into problems or
  foresee a problem.

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PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION CONTD.

• A variant of these group of individual property
  owners who is desirous of embarking on complex
  multistory buildings or special projects like
  hotels, petrol stations go a little further by
  inviting a contractor who most times are non
  professionals. The naturally intelligent ones
  among these contractors get by and complete
  the project after a lot of hassles but at what
  cost and anxiety

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1.3 SUPERVISION / QUALITY CONTROL

• The role of the town planning authority ends with
  approval of the development. In most cases, the
  inspection unit of the planning authority only
  checks if there is an approved drawing.
  Supervision and quality control is the
  responsibility of the homeowner. The
  proliferation of non-professionals in the field
  is encouraged by private developers. You can
  hardly separate an engineer from a pseudo
  engineer.
• The lack of control is responsible for incessant
  collapse of buildings and fire outbreaks across
  the country. The only improvement in recent times
  is in Lagos State of Nigeria where the owner is
  compelled to name a qualified engineer who is
  responsible for the quality of work done.
• The advantage, which the private individuals
  enjoy in handling projects without consulting a
  professional, is just a personal belief that he
  has saved money. However, he gained nothing.

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CORPORATE ORGANISATIONS

• The clients that fall under this category are
  banks, insurance companies, multinational
  manufacturing companies, oil companies,
  telecommunication giants and others too numerous
  to mention. Construction practices in corporate
  organizations are more organized. The challenges
  here are not complex because they have laid down
  procedures and standards. These procedures vary
  for different organizations. Development of
  infrastructure in many organizations is
  precipitated on the need for maintenance or
  expansion, which is conceived and approved by the
  relevant authority within the organization.

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DESIGN AND PLANNING

• Corporate organizations employ the services of
  relevant professionals in the design and planning
  of their renovations or new developments.
  Although they seldom advertise in the dailies for
  the services of these consultants. The
  consultants approach these organizations for
  registration in their fields of specialization.
  The organizations appraise their resumes.
  Sometimes they invite them for interviews. After
  the appraisal, if the organization is convinced
  that they are competent, they will be registered
  and called upon when the need arises. In some
  cases, however some organizations invite
  consultants with proven record of performance in
  their area of specialty. However, it is worthy to
  note that, most corporate organisations are
  interested in quality and competence of
  consultants.

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DESIGN AND PLANNING CONTD.

• Whenever these organizations embark on projects,
  a team of consultants or in-house professionals
  is assembled, comprising of the architect,
  structural engineer, services engineer, quantity
  surveyor and any other professional whose
  expertise is required in other to achieve the set
  objectives optimally. The consultants will set to
  work within the scope of their brief and in
  compliance with peculiar specifications of the
  client. The architect and engineers produce
  drawings while the quantity surveyor produces the
  Bill of Quantities, which includes the
  specifications of the clients.

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DESIGN AND PLANNING CONTD.

• Some very big organizations like oil companies
  and banks have these professionals in the
  establishment. In cases like these, for routine
  projects they do not employ consultants.
  Nevertheless, a complete set of comprehensive and
  detailed contract documents is available for
  consideration of the organization. Typical
  contract documents are
• Architectural Drawings
• Structural Drawings
• Services Drawings
• Bill of Quantities (B.O.Q) / Bill of Engineering
  Measurement (B.M.E)

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DESIGN AND PLANNING CONTD.

• At the end of this exercise, the client is in a
  position to know the probable cost of the project
  as well as the financial commitment required for
  each stage. If the design is not within their
  budget, it is possible at this stage to prune
  down the project, or divide it into phases. Some
  organizations even go as far as delaying the
  project until adequate funds is available. The
  drawings produced are subject to the approval of
  the Local Government Town Planning Authority
  within which the new development is located. The
  major challenge here is that it is difficult for
  a new engineering outfit to break into the
  system. The older generation of consultants
  monopolizes these set of clients.

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2.2 CONTRACT AWARD

• The procedure for award of contract is similar to
  that of commissioning of consultants. The
  invitations of contractors here is at the
  discretion of the company. They do not place
  advertisement for this purpose in the dailies.
  Contractors invited are from a data bank of
  previously registered contractors or specialists
  in the area under consideration. The tenders
  submitted by the contractors are analysed by the
  consultants, while recommendations are made to
  the client who awards the contract to the most
  suitable contractor by their standards. The
  challenges here for contractors are similar to
  that of the consultants. Unless there is an
  insider who is convinced about the competence of
  the incoming contractor, it is difficult to get
  patronage from this group of clients. It is not
  an all comers affair.

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2.3 PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

• The contractor here is a professional and he is
  expected to submit a programme of works showing
  the beginning and completion of each item of
  work. The process and progress of work is
  monitored vigorously by the consultants or in
  house professionals. The materials used are
  subjected to scrutiny for compliance with
  specifications while the method and skill of
  construction is monitored. Concisely construction
  is practiced in the way it should be. The details
  of this practice will be discussed later.

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3.0 GOVERNMENT

• In this category, we have the three tiers of
  government namely, The Local Government, State
  Government and Federal Government. The challenges
  here are monumental. Construction practice in
  these three tiers of government varies and until
  very recently there is no transparency in the
  system. Each arm of government operates a
  convenient method of design, planning, award and
  supervision of construction works in the three
  tiers of government. However since the stability
  brought by democracy there is a semblance of
  order and control.

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3.1 DESIGN AND PLANNING

• Each arm of government has departments or
  ministries charged with handling new developments
  or renovations.
• At the local government, level there is a
  Director of Works who heads the Works Department.
  This department is charged with the
  responsibility of producing working drawings,
  bill of quantities or bill of engineering
  measurement. They are also charged with advising
  the Local Government Chairmen and the executive
  on the planning and execution of the development.
  It is very rare for a local government to employ
  the services of consultants for their projects.
  The contract documents are prepared by the works
  department where the various professionals
  required for efficient delivery of such services
  are absent or not employed. These documents are
  not detailed in most cases. The quality and
  standard of the drawings depends largely on the
  experience and competence of the Director of
  works.

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DESIGN AND PLANNING CONTD.

• The state ministry of works is responsible for
  producing contract documents for the various
  states. In some cases, other special ministries
  like The Ministry of Water Resources exist in
  some states. These ministries still rely on the
  ministry of works for inputs into their projects.
  The procedure adopted in the past does not follow
  any pattern. Sometimes consultants are
  commissioned to produce drawings and other
  contract documents while in some cases, the
  professionals in the ministry produce these
  drawings and documents on their own. However, in
  the last few years, there is an improvement. Due
  Process has been introduced. The new Procurement
  Act of 2007 has given the guidelines on design
  and award of contracts. Regrettably, not all the
  states have complied with this directive.

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DESIGN AND PLANNING CONTD.

• In this new dispensation, when a project is
  conceived, the state government advertises for
  interested consultants who are registered with
  the state to express their interest. These
  consultants submit the relevant documents as
  advertised. Their submission will be analyzed and
  a team of consultants will be assembled. The
  procedure is quite similar to the process
  discussed under corporate organizations. The
  major difference is that advertisements are
  placed in a national newspaper for the state
  government contracts while the corporate bodies
  do not advertise theirs.

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DESIGN AND PLANNING CONTD.

• Previously at the federal level, there was no
  transparency. Each ministry fashions its
  procedure to meet certain political and personal
  interest. There is now an improvement in the
  system the procedure for the Federal Government
  contracts now follows the procurement act of 2007
  strictly. Unlike the state government contracts,
  all contracts are advertised. Consultants and
  contractors are prequalified for each project
  while detailed drawings and other tender
  documents are produced. Geotechnical
  investigations are not taking into consideration
  always.

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3.2 CONTRACT AWARD

• At the local government level, there is no
  prequalification of contractors. Once the tender
  documents are ready, an advert is placed for
  contractors who are registered with the
  particular local government to pay the stipulated
  tender fees. The only document available in most
  cases is a Bill of Quantities, which is priced
  and submitted within the stipulated time. The
  tender analysis and consideration for award lies
  primarily with the director of works and chairman
  of the local government. Contract award is not
  transparent despite the new procurement act. It
  is still subject to political interest and
  patronage.

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CONTRACT AWARD CONTD.

• Contract award at the state or federal level is
  more tedious. A contractor who is desirous of
  working for these two tiers of government must
  register in a category of its choice. When the
  contract documents are ready, an advert for
  PREQUALIFICATION OF CONTRACTORS is placed in at
  least two (2) national newspapers. However, as
  stipulated by law, these adverts must be placed
  in The Construction Journal. However, it is
  only the Federal government that complies
  strictly with this directive. Most state
  governments limit their adverts to the dailies
  while some do not even advertise at all. The
  requirements for prequalification are listed,
  while only prequalified contractors are invited
  to pay for tender documents.
• At the state level, some other considerations
  come to play before a contractor is chosen.
  However, at the federal level, the lowest tender
  received is automatically considered for award.
  There are still some sharp practices in the
  industry but the situation is improving.

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3.3 PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

• A myriad of problems plague government contracts.
  At the state level, the quality of the contract
  documents produced reflects very strongly on the
  level of planning. These qualities can be
  adjudged as just average for some states while it
  is below average in most states. The wish of the
  governor in most cases takes precedence over all
  other considerations however technical. A good
  number of contractors also are non-professionals,
  while the bureaucracy on the part of government
  hinders the smooth running of contracts.
• It is important to note at this junction that the
  major hindrance to planning on government
  projects is funding. It is very unpredictable. If
  a project is not included in the budget, it will
  not go beyond the design stage and if it is an
  ongoing project, it will be abandoned.

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PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION CONTD.

• At the Federal government level, there is a
  deliberate attempt to improve on the performance
  at the state level. The quality of contract
  documents is higher while the planning is
  improving daily. However, the effect of funding
  and bureaucracy is still the same.
• The quality of supervision is very high when
  consultants are employed. However, whenever the
  in house professionals are in charge of
  supervision, their performance is tainted with
  bureaucracy. This impact negatively on the
  project.

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4.0 NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

• There are three categories of universities
  namely, private, state and federal universities.
  Construction practice and its challenges in most
  state universities compare favourably with the
  operations of the owner states it is therefore
  be unnecessary to discuss them here. The pattern
  of administration in the private universities
  varies considerably. Each private university has
  its own peculiarities. Discussing them
  collectively will not be appropriate. The
  emphasis here will be on Federal Universities.
• The federal government is responsible for the new
  developments or maintenance of structures on
  federal universities. However, other agencies
  like Education Tax Fun (ETF), banks and other
  donors contribute to physical development. Each
  university has a governing council that oversees
  the affairs of the university on behalf of the
  federal government.

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4.1 DESIGN AND PLANNING

• Each University has a Physical Lanning Unit
  (P.P.U) under the office of the Vice Chancellor.
  This unit as the name implies is responsible for
  the development of new structures on the
  campuses. While the works department is in charge
  of maintenance of infrastructure
• When the university is desirous of embarking on a
  new project, the physical planning unit receives
  directives from the administration. The unit will
  liaise with the users / department who will
  benefit from the development to take inventory of
  their requirements and peculiarities. At this
  stage, the university may decide to employ the
  services of consultants or use their in house
  professionals for the design. There is no
  uniformity in the operations of the universities
  in this regard. The various options adopted are
• Some universities engage the services of
  consultants most of the time and sparingly use in
  house professionals for their designs
• Some university use only in house professionals
• Some use combine in house professionals from the
  physical planning unit and lecturers from
  relevant departments of the university.

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DESIGN AND PLANNING CONTD.

• The good thing is that the quality of the
  contract documents is always very high and
  detailed in most universities, but geotechnical
  investigations are usually not carried out. Only
  a handful of them use incomplete documents. After
  the completion of the contract documents, most
  universities would have an idea of the range of
  probable cost of the project before proceeding to
  other stages. Planning is easier in the
  university system because the academic
  environment dictates orderliness. The law
  establishing them creates procedures for
  achieving their objectives. Secondly, most of
  them have a master plan. The academic area is
  distinct from the residential area. There are
  further subdivisions to faculties and
  administrative areas. This does not mean that the
  university system does not have its own
  challenges. The peculiarities of the
  personalities of each administrator have its own
  effects on the management of the construction of
  infrastructures but the checks and balances of
  the university system still makes it more
  conducive.

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4.2 AWARD OF CONTRACTS

• Until very recently, the governing council of
  each university is the body that awards
  contracts. The idea of inviting contractors to
  tender for projects through advertisement in the
  dailies was not common. However, the method used
  in inviting contractors for tender and award vary
  for the different universities. The only thing
  they share in common is that any contractor
  desirous of being considered must register with
  the Federal Ministry of Works and the university
  in the appropriate category. Some of the methods
  employed are
• Some universities place adverts on their notice
  boards within the physical planning unit and the
  administrative block. This is common with the
  first generation universities
• Some universities go for selective tendering
  procedure. In this case, the few contractors
  considered receive letters of invitation to
  tender.
• The tenders collected are submitted to the office
  of the registrar after pricing. The consultants
  will analyze these tenders and submit their
  report to the physical planning unit for
  scrutiny. The reports of the consultants and the
  physical planning unit are merely for technical
  considerations. The management of each university
  will study the reports and forward their
  decisions to the governing council.

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AWARD OF CONTRACTS CONTD.

• In some institutions, only contractors that fall
  within a range of the consultants estimates are
  given further considerations. While some
  institutions still considers the tender of all
  the contractors before a decision is taken.
• The tenders board, headed by the Chairman of the
  governing council will consider the reports and
  award the contract to any contractor of their
  choice.
• In some universities however, the contractors are
  invited for further interview and negotiations.
  Technical issues are discussed with a view of
  getting an insight into the professional
  competence of each contractor. It is however
  difficult to understand the principles that guide
  their choice of contractor.
• However, the method of planning and award of
  contract in the university system has witnessed
  major changes. A few years ago, Due process was
  introduced, and very recently, the procurement
  act of 2007 has increased the transparency in the
  award of contracts. All federal universities now
  operate a uniform method in the planning and
  award of contracts.

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4.3 PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION

• It is the duty of the physical planning unit to
  ensure that all projects are properly managed
  with or without consultants. Most universities do
  not employ consultants for resident supervision.
  Nevertheless, they still give instructions on
  site anytime their attention is required. The
  university appoints a clerk of works who is
  responsible to the director of physical planning.
  His duty is to ensure that the contractor adheres
  to specifications and carries out the
  construction as designed.
• The contractor submits a programme of work in
  line with his previous completion period during
  tendering. The feasibility of the programme is
  discussed and amendments are made without
  changing the period of construction.

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PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION CONTD.

• Building construction is the commonest in the
  university system. We have occasional estate
  roads, dams or other structures. Professionals
  are in charge of every aspect of the
  construction. For a building project, the
  architect is the leader of the team while the
  structural and service engineers are available
  for their inputs. The quantity surveyor carries
  out a valuation at the instance of the
  contractor. An architects certificate is issued
  for every valuation and sent to the physical
  planning unit for processing.
• In cases where fund is available, these
  certificates are honoured in reasonable time. The
  project is completed and commissioned. However,
  some universities award contracts on the
  projection of expected funds. These projects run
  into difficulties because, without funding, the
  contracts get abandoned. We have many of such
  projects in some universities.

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4.4 QUALITY CONTROL

• Quality control is very important to the
  university system. All materials are inspected
  before the contractor uses them. Periodic test on
  the strength of concrete (Cube Test) are carried
  out. While the specimen of reinforcement are
  subjected to tensile strength test. Other
  materials for finishing are inspected and
  approved. In addition, the management of
  contracts in the universities does not give room
  for a shoddy execution. There are periodic site
  meetings, which addresses and controls issues
  relating to quality of materials and workmanship.
  

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THE CHALLENGES IN POST CONTRACT PROCESS

• Post contract is the professional terminology
  used for all activities carried out when actual
  construction work starts. The challenges here are
  too numerous and complicated because of the
  financial implications and control of
  construction personnel. Some of these are
• Quality of construction materials
• Source of equipments
• Availability of qualified and competent workers
• Proliferation of experienced artisans into the
  field of engineering
• Finance

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1 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

• The assemblage or mixing of different
  construction materials is the art of
  construction. Therefore, it is very important
  that these materials must conform to
  specifications. However, it is very sad that
  Nigeria is just a dumping ground for various
  materials and equipments. There is no control on
  the quality of locally produced or imported
  materials. This factor affects the infrastructure
  negatively on completion. Primary construction
  materials, which are common to all construction
  projects, are
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1.1 CEMENT

• Cement is one of the commonest building
  materials. Elephant and Dangote cement are
  locally manufactured. They dominate the market,
  while there are other brands. These products are
  good but some unscrupulous individuals adulterate
  and re-bag them. This affects the setting time
  and overall strength of concrete and mortar. In
  order to augment local production, cement is
  imported. Experience has shown that the strength
  these brands of cement are not uniform. The
  initial setting time vary considerably.

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1.2 REINFORCEMENT AND STRUCTURAL STEEL

• This is a major challenge because it is not
  possible to know the manufacturers at the point
  of purchase. The size and quality is a joint
  problem. Common sizes in the industry are 8, 10,
  12, 16, 20, 25mm. However, these are sizes in
  name only. 10mm rods has many varieties namely,
  9mm, 9.5mm or full 10mm. 12mm has 11mm, 11.5mm
  and full 12mm. There are at least two or three
  varieties of each size. There is further
  subdivision of local and imported reinforcement,
  which cannot be verified.
• Occasionally when samples of reinforcement were
  taken to the laboratory for testing. The tensile
  strengths were found to be lower than design
  strength.
• Availability and cost are the major problem for
  structural steel members. Structural engineering
  consultants are constrained by the limited size
  and type of members available in the market.

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1.3 AGGREGATES

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• There are two types of aggregates coarse
  aggregates refer to granite chippings or gravel.
  While fine aggregate is supposed to be river
  sand. Granite chippings are manufactured
  mechanically and locally, it should be free from
  dust, loam, silt, clay and other impurities. The
  source of worry here is mainly availability, we
  have occasional bad chippings, but it is easy to
  detect. However, fine aggregate to be used for
  mortar and concrete shall be clean, sharp natural
  pit or river sand. River sand is very scarce. In
  upland states, river dredging is uncommon. What
  is referred to as river sand does not meet all
  the qualities of the sand specified for
  construction works.

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1.4 OTHERS.

• Other materials used for construction are,
  aluminum roofing sheets, doors, mortise locks,
  electrical cables and fittings, sanitary wares,
  asphalt, paints e.t.c. We have various
  manufactures for these materials, but the quality
  of their products differs significantly. Most of
  them are substandard because the country does not
  have an efficient regulatory body to enforce
  compliance with international standards. The
  professional in the construction industry is at
  the receiving end.

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2.0 EQUIPMENT

• The big multinational companies do not seem to
  have any problem in this regard. However, the
  bulk of other indigenous contracting companies
  who do not need major equipments like bulldozers,
  vibrating rollers, excavators for more than a few
  days at a time face hardship in locating
  equipments in good working condition. It is
  extremely difficult even if you have the money to
  pay. Basic equipments like concrete mixers,
  concrete vibrators, survey equipments, small
  lifting devices, cranes, vibrating rollers,
  pavers and other equipments are common to all
  contracting firms. Availability of spare parts
  and high cost of maintenance is the only major
  challenge.
• In addition to the above, Indigenous contracting
  companies are not benefiting from latest
  developments that have taken place on equipments
  worldwide. In developed countries,
  equipment-leasing companies complement these
  disadvantages in the construction industry. But
  leasing outfits are not common in the country.
  The fact that we are still placing concrete
  manually on multi storey buildings is not good
  enough. Concrete pumps and small lifting devices
  should be available at affordable prices.

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3.0 FLUCTUATIONS AND VARIATIONS

• These are two major problems in the construction
  industry. Fluctuations are caused by increased in
  the cost of materials while variations occur when
  a contractor carries out additional works, which
  are not included in the BOQ.
• The price of materials fluctuates without notice
  or reason. This becomes a major problem for the
  contractor because most clients insist on
  non-fluctuating contracts despite the fact that
  we are all aware that prices fluctuate. The time
  lag between tendering and award of contract is
  not fixed. It is very common for the prices of
  materials to have fluctuated even before the
  project commences. The financial losses incurred
  by contracting firms in this regard are a major
  source of concern.

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FLUCTUATIONS AND VARIATIONS CONTD.

• Corporate clients as earlier discussed pay
  fluctuations and variations claims. It is
  extremely difficult but not impossible for a
  contractor to claim for fluctuation on state
  government and federal government contracts. In
  the university system, variation claims are paid,
  if it is properly handled and approved by the
  consultants. However, fluctuation claims are not
  entertained at all. The combined effects of
  fluctuations and variations in the construction
  industry can be severe and detrimental to the
  overall completion of projects.

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4.0 MANPOWER

• The inadequacy of competent work force is another
  major challenge in the industry. The quality of
  recent graduates is declining. Training
  facilities are running short while incessant
  strikes in our education system leads to poor
  education. It is so bad that you cannot trust a
  trainee engineer on a simple task. This factor
  indirectly encouraged the proliferation of
  experienced artisans who pose as engineers to
  unsuspecting clients and employers. The problem
  caused by incompetent workforce is that expected
  basic engineering knowhow is lacking.
• For instance, an engineer on a road project is
  expected to know that asphalt laid below the
  given temperature will quicken deterioration of
  the road surface. He is also expected to identify
  bad laterite for earthworks even before
  laboratory tests.

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MANPOWER CONTD.

• Likewise, on a building project, an engineer
  should acquaint himself with the use of basic
  tools like tape, builders plums, squares,
  bricklayers range and a host of others. He is
  also expected to know the setting time of
  concrete and workability for various uses he
  should be conversant with lap lengths suitable
  for the various sizes of reinforcement.
• An average engineer on any project is therefore
  expected to have a reasonable understanding of
  the various components electrical and mechanical
  works. The incompetence of the site engineer or
  supervising consultant affects their employers
  negatively and the client generally on the
  successful completion of the project.
• The training of artisans has also dropped.
  Apprentice artisans are not available. This has
  led to insufficient artisans in all categories.
  While the volume of work available is increasing
  daily, the numbers of artisans are decreasing.

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5.0 FINANCE

• The aim of any individual pursuing a carrier in
  civil engineering is to be able to generate
  enough money to live comfortably. The financial
  difficulties in the industry are so staggering
  that achieving the objective is a mirage.
• Bureaucracy by civil servants leads to delay in
  payment to both the contractors and the
  consultants. This is common to all tiers of
  government and university. Only corporate
  organisations pay for services rendered as and
  when due. Inadequate budgeting for ongoing
  projects is another mitigating factor. To
  compound these problems, banks are not willing to
  fund contractors because of bad loans.
• The combined effect of all these factors on the
  industry creates a crippling effect. This
  accounts for a high percentage of abandoned
  projects.

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SUMMARY

• In summary, the challenges facing the civil
  engineering construction in Nigeria are many
  ranging from (a) modalities of achieving
  contracting documents, (b) poor planning, (c)
  lack of transparency in the award of contracts
  (d) the presence of unqualified individuals
  posing as professionals in the industry, (e)
  inadequacy of finance (f) declining competence of
  trained professionals and artisans.
•  

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SUMMARY CONTD.

• However, these challenges can be alleviated
• Implementing the procurement act of year 2007 at
  all levels of government and agencies involved in
  infrastructural development
• Improve budgeting and implementation
• Reduction of bureaucracy in the planning and
  implementation of new developments
• Adopting the points and suggestions raised in the
  communiqué issued at the end of the 2009 Annual
  General Meeting of the Nigerian Institution of
  Civil Engineers in Abuja which was published in
  The Punch Newspaper of 17th November, 2009.
  Some of these include

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SUMMARY CONTD.

• Improving and domesticating all codes and
  standards of civil engineering with a need for
  National civil engineering codes of practice.
• Organisations responsible for infrastructural
  development should imbibe the culture of training
  and retraining their personnel.
• Government should make geotechnical
  investigations mandatory for all civil
  engineering projects because it is a major
  parameter in the failure of engineering
  investigations.

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Thank you for listening