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The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) has urged stakeholders in the building industry to take advantage of its research and innovations to use locally produced construction materials.
Prof. Dalandi Matawal, the Director-General of the Institute, gave the advice on Wednesday at a day-two 3rdAnnual Kogi Built Environment and Building Materials (BEBM) Exhibition in Lokoja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Day Two of the event was tagged: ‘NBRRI DAY’ with the theme: “Economic and Social Advantage of the Use of Innovations of NBRRI”.
Matawal said that the call to use locally produced materials was part of the Federal Government’s economic diversification plan and a way of reducing high cost of construction materials while maintaining building standards.
Matawal, who was represented by Mr Daniel Makana, Consultancy and Extension Services Department of the Institute, said that the ‘NBRR Day’ was set aside to create awareness on the mandate and activities of the institute.
He said that it was also to catalyse interest in the use of alternative building and construction materials produce by NBRRI, and to discuss the economic and social advantage of its products.
The director-general also noted that day was to create a meeting point with would-be users to share ideas on products usage and compatibility of the use of NBRRI products.
He therefore emphasised on the use of bamboo as construction material to save cost, time, to ensure speed and affordability for construction in addition to low skilled labour.
Mr Oladipo Bayode, the Executive Director, BEBM Exhibition, said that the exhibition was a gathering of tradesmen, manufacturers and suppliers of building materials, government, private practitioners and policy makers.
According to him, the idea is to develop models capable of reducing construction costs and other related products as a serious alternative, particularly during economic recession.
He advocated for free taxation and reforms in the electricity sector, stressing that it was the major thing to be considered in attracting investment in local material production if affordability was the actual focus.
He promised that the BEBM exhibition would continue to create platform for discussion and expose ways to reducing the cost of construction projects in Nigeria.
(NAN)
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