Professor of Environmental and Engineering Geology at the University of Ibadan, Professor Ibrahim Oyediran, on Friday, October 4, spoke on the importance of engineering geologists and their being vital to preventing building collapse and mitigating environmental impact of construction activities in Nigeria.
The university Don lamented that Nigeria as a country has, unfortunately, got to a stage “where we can no longer continue to pay lip service to the vital role played by engineering geologists, albeit geologists, in the delivery of sustainable structures.”
Professor Oyediran stated this while delivering a valedictory lecture in honour of Professor Gabriel Oladapo Adeyemi, who retired from the service of the University of Ibadan after clocking 70 years.
Professor Oyediran, who spoke on the topic – “Engineering Geology and The Sustainability Of Structures And The Environment: The Edunabon Manuscripts” – noted that Nigerian roads keep failing and buildings continue to collapse because the country refuses to consider the environment in the placement of structures.
He said: “Our roads keep failing, our buildings keep coming down, we refuse to consider the environment in emplacement of structures.
“We design beautiful structures without recourse to material suitability, bearing capacity, environmental impact, and sustainability.
“We obviously have no value for human life and place more premium quantity rather than quality. How do we walk and move forward when we have refused to crawl and take care of the basics?”
While noting that not all buildings collapse due to material quality, Professor Oyediran remarked: “By ensuring that geological conditions and processes are fully considered, Engineering Geology helps to create structures that are safe, durable, resource-efficient, and environmentally responsible, contributing to the well-being, progress of society and a sustainable built environment.
“In essence, it is indispensable, and its importance can not be overstated in the realm of civil engineering and infrastructure development.”
He added that Engineering geologists are crucial at every stage of infrastructure development because they “offer a unique perspective to help build resilience to natural hazards, solve environmental problems caused by human activities, and lower the cost and risk of building and infrastructure construction because of their knowledge, skills, and understanding of the interfaces between science and engineering and the natural and built environments past, present, and future.”
He stated further: “Engineering Geology promotes the delivery of Infrastructure that is resilient to natural hazards, reducing the risk of catastrophic and structural failure due to geological events, enhancing their sustainability by preventing premature failure and reducing maintenance needs thereby enhancing public safety.
“This proactive approach not only saves lives but also reduces economic losses by preventing infrastructure failures. Once infrastructure is built, engineering geologists play a role in ongoing maintenance and monitoring.
“This is to ensure long-term stability, performance, and safety of structures through continuous monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure. They help identify early signs of geological issues that could affect structural integrity, such as ground subsidence or slope instability.
“This is done by implementing geotechnical monitoring systems to track ground movement, regular geological assessments and inspections, structural health monitoring technologies, and inspecting structural integrity.
“This continuous monitoring and timely interventions can prevent minor problems from becoming major failures, as early detection and mitigation of potential issues allow timely interventions and repairs that extend the lifespan of structures and reduce the need for extensive overhauls.
“Understanding these properties ensures that foundations and other structural elements are designed to bear the loads and stresses they will encounter, thereby ensuring the stability and safety of buildings, bridges, dams, other structures and ultimately assisting with longevity of the infrastructure.
“The whole idea is to ensure stability and integrity of structures by analysing soil and rock properties to determine appropriate foundation types and depths resulting in foundations being designed to support structures under various load conditions and environmental factors.”
