By Dele Ogbodo
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, has said the Nigerian Building and Road and Research Institute (NBRRI) has the solution to the reoccurring building and bridge collapse in the country.
Speaking at the sideline after inspecting facilities at the Corporate Headquarters of the Institute recently in Abuja, the Minister, Chief Uche Nnaji, while acknowledging the leadership qualities of the Institute’s DG/CEO, Prof. Samson Duna, said after the tour, there is no doubt that NBRRI has done very well in the area of research outputs.
We have in the person of Prof. Samson Duna, who is bringing his classroom lectures to bear through practicability of research outputs, he added.
He said: “I’m amazed with what I’m seeing and I give kudos to the federal government for also inaugurating and making it one of the agencies of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.”
While their research is ongoing, they are not resting on their oars and thanks also to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Agenda (RHA) because it is on this basis of what we are doing today going to wake up researches that are dead.
The Minister acknowledged that with what NBRRI has there is light at the end of the tunnel for Nigeria, adding: “We have a lot here. All that we need is commercialization of these research outputs.”
On the value of the naira which has been depreciating in the international market, he said “Because what that we are driving today is that the stress of the naira is to be reduced.
“All that we are driving today is to reduce the stress on the naira through industries, manufacturing, exporting and benefiting from our researches that is the only that we can reduce that stress on the naira.
“Because once we start doing that, we will still be making a lot of exports, we will start gaining foreign exchange which is what is needed for the naira to land at its expectable value.
“But today, naira is going in a way nobody can ever imagine. I thank FG for creating NBRRI, thank the Federal Government and also bringing Prof. Duna here. I congratulate him immensely because what I have seen here is unbelievable.
“I believe strongly that when you bring few businessmen here, he doesn’t have to spend much to make billions. He does not need to spend a lot because the machines are simple. They are fabricated here in Nigeria.”
On the reoccurring building and bridge collapse in the country, he said it will become an issue of the past if individuals and stakeholders patronize NBRRI, adding: “If we have NBRRI patronized we won’t be having collapsed bridges. Roads will not fail as quickly as they do.
Nnaji, said: “If the materials being used for road are subjected to integrity test you will find out that from the machines that we saw you will be able to determine how long a road will determine whether it will or should for 0ne year or ten (10) years. All these things are found here.
“On the collapse building I was just looking at their machines that test rods. There is a rod there the specification is Y20 but we found out that it is even less than Y18 these are parts of the reasons that caused problem in designing because when you design a building then you put Y20 and it turns out to be Y18 what will be result over time the rods will carry the building it will fail.
“So, I’m employing and will discuss with the Minister for Works, Engr. David Umahi, we will share ideas and exchange ideas on how we can help the contractors through free testing rights so that they (contractors) so that they pay any money because we are looking at the safety of our people.
“Like the bridge collapse in Enugu, NBRRI was there to do integrity test and he found the reason for that collapse and that of Gwarinpa and Owerri and that is why I said that the DG is doing well and it is a question of the people concerned.”
While speaking on the Institute’s mandate, the DG, said it is all about researches on our roads and buildings, he however regrets that the lack of physical space to conduct researches on the materials that the Institute uses is a big hindrance.
He said: “At times we need to burn items physically to determine the fire resistance of a material. For instance, there was a time someone invented a roofing material and he came with that claim that the material is fire-resistance and how do we know whether that is true or not, we need to subject that material to test of subjecting it into flame to burn it and look at our environment where are we going to burn that kind of material here.
“That is why I made an appeal that we need a land, a space an where we can demonstrate our research findings because we do research in the lab and after the laboratory experiments these laboratory results are promising and positive.
“We need to demonstrate these results for people to see and we don’t have that land or space to do that.
“I have made several efforts, especially in terms of courtesy call, we have written to the former Minister for FCT we didn’t any positive result and that is why in my opening remarks I have to appeal to my Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology if he can come in to assist the Institute to see if we can get a plot of land and that land will be used basically as a research or technology village.
“Any promising result that is cooked in the land we will try and demonstrate it in the field for people to come and see and if you come as journalist, we will tell you that we are claiming that we are doing this and that but you can only see what we are doing by visiting the technology village and so that land in Abuja will be used as a technology village to showcase our research findings for people to see practically.”
On inability to commercialise its research findings, he added: “You can see that we as a research Institute we cannot produce in mass, all that we can do is from the pilot scheme. We are calling on investors to come and help us and we are calling on the OPS to come and take it from us.
“For instance, the Pozollana, a sort of substitute for cement is a breakthrough as far as knowledge is concerned. This pozollana is like a substitute that supplement cement products because the cost of cement continues to go up for instance the cost of cement 2 years ago was around N2,000 to N3000 and today it is about N5000 for 50kg now why because there is no alternative.
“If we can have can have alternative for cement certainly, I assure you that the price of cement will practically reduce for instance 50Kg of cement is sold for N5000.
“What NBRRI has come up with Pozollana is to produce this product from waste and this waste goes through a process and this process uses local content and it is produced from waste and it is cost effective as far as production is concerned.
“The good thing is that after we are able to able to use it to construct an infrastructure with it. If you go to Jos in our premises in Bokkos, we built a bungalow using this pozollana and if you go to Ota, in Ogun State we built a bungalow using this product.
“It is not a mirage it is something practical for people to see. We are calling on investors on investors and OPS to come and partner with us and we are ready to partner with them and we are ready to give them value for their investment.”
