By: Echeburu Oby & Jumia Abu
Prof Samson Duna, Acting Director General of NBRRI speaks with Viewpoint housing media team, on a variety of issues including the importance of Pozzolana gotten directly from waste that can be used as partial cement in the building sector.
Viewpoint: Since your resumption to office as Acting Director General, what are your achievements?
Duna: This question, I would have loved people to answer. However, since you have asked, let me briefly outline something that came to my understanding. So far, I came into office precisely on the 1st of March, 2019, and today, I can say I’m one year and 4months in this office. Quite a lot has been done as far as the institute is concerned, I don’t want to say I did it but, we did, it with my management and the entire staff of NBRRI. Some of the few things we have been able to accomplish are:
We were able to successfully host the 2019 International Conference. It has been in existence since 2011, which we do every year. Professionals come from different parts of the country, as well as people that have their research findings, go there to test their materials. So, every year, there is an avenue where we all gather and discuss our findings. Does it meet the standard? Is it acceptable when compared to our counter parts in different places? So, we were able to successfully conduct the 2019 international conference that had in attendance, most of the high government functionaries. attendance.
Viewpoint: While organizing these Conferences, do the government assist you?
Duna: Yes! We always have budgetary provision for that every year, every government agency has an annual budget, there’s a line budget that covers international conferences and we have been able to use that line budget to carry out what is expected of us. Another aspect I want to talk about is the issue of commissioning of projects. Last year, we were able to commission some of our projects, I will mention a few;
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonna Onu was the Special Guest of Honor that commissioned our Pozzolana Center in Bokkos, Plateau State. It was successfully and quite a number of people were in attendance, it was a very big project which we were able to carry out. We were able to commission houses, most of our technologies, we always try to them. We don’t just do our findings and leave them in shelves, we were able to bring our some of research findings by building a duplex in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Bauchi State. A very beautiful edifice, we went there to commission it and have handed over to the University, and has since been put to use.
We were able to commission a Skill Center in Lagos, we were involved in quite a lot of demonstration projects and what I mean by demonstration projects, are those that have relations with our mandate. If we discover you have a mandate to investigate an issue and it has been converted to something positive, we try to demonstrate the outcome of your result. We have been able to do a lot as far as commissioning is concern.
We went on to host the RIGAN Games Festival, RIGAN are games meant for Research Institutes. NBRRI has never hosted the games since its inception and the games has been in existence for the past 30 years. So, NBRRI was given the hosting rights which was hosted on the 14-21 December, 2019. It was quite remarkable that NBRRI came 6th overall, winning 5 gold medals which was a successful, it also won the best kit team during the games.
We also went on again to carry out integrity test in most of our structures. Part of NBRRI mandate is to give confidence to the public that use infrastructural facilities like bridges and buildings. We were able to ascertain the integrity of buildings, some of which are in university of Abuja and some places like Gwarimpa, as well as, places where there had been bomb blasts to give the general public assurances that when this structure are put into use, there will be peace of mind.
We were also able to sign notable MoUs. We had an MoU with Union Homes, some of our research partners and anyone that has good innovation, we share ideas and encouragement independent researchers, we organized internal training where our professionals did training for us, our architects, engineers were there also.
We again, were able to successfully train our staff outside to acquire additional knowledge.
We were again, able to use our research findings to come up with technical publications. Another area that needs mentioning, is the issue of building collapse which is an area that concerns our mandate. At most building collapse places, we are always there in attendance to take comprehensive research to know what the problem was and what advice we can give. However, our mandate has not given us the power to arrest or prosecute but, we are working on a bill to give us such powers. So, for now, what we can do if there is a building collapses, is to go down, identify the problem and create awareness by making a report out of it and send to those stakeholders in the construction sector. Presently, as I’m talking to you, a building recently collapsed in Owerri. Our team were there and we did more of collaboration with professionals in the construction industry, engineers, representation of Council of Builders and so on, presented a report. We were also able to defend our budget successfully in the senate. For the first time, NBRRI skill center became a JAMB Center which was adjudged as one of the best in Plateau State. We have also hosted Empower training and others. So, we have been able to do quite a lot.
Viewpoint: What plans do you have for the Institute?
Duna: I have quite a lot of plans for the Institute. A leader without a vision is not a leader. I came in as a Director of Research. I’ve seen the problems of the Institute, I’ve known where we are now and I know where we are going. We can’t go with our legs, we need facilities to make us move. We must create an environment that is conducive by putting facilities in order for us to move ahead and we have to train people to ensure that we are there. Some of the few things I feel we should look at, are based on our mandate. Since our mandate as a Research Institute is to conduct research, basically in the area of building and construction, we can’t carry out a research if we don’t have a good laboratory. So, my first visions is to ensure that we equip our labs with the best facilities. My vision is to ensure that NBRRI has the best equipment so that it will be a Center of Excellence. We will ensure that all our laboratories in the country are equipped properly. If there is a prelim in the East, we don’t need to bring it down to Abuja, rather, it will be attended to at its base. There is a lab called Characteristic Lab, it is a very expensive lab which we have been able to provide in our Abuja office. We have bought some equipments and hope to buy more gradually. In the next 3-4 years, we would be somewhere meaningful hopefully. It’s a vision and we have identified it as a problem, working towards solving it.
The other issue is that we want to create a Fabrication Unit by creating these images into fabrication so that people will see what we are doing, that is, by making paper work to reality. In a bid to fabricate them, you need a Fabrication Unit. The issue of improving our collaboration with other stakeholders, NBRRI is known for its laterite blocks, but, our problem is that, we always import the machine. Gradually, we started fabricating our own machines to produce the same blocks. We collaborated with Hydro South Africa to give us knock down parts, so that, we can assemble them ourselves. My hope and vision is that, one day, we don’t have to import any part; we want to fabricate our parts in this country, be it a machine or equipment.
I have this vision of creating a NBRRI Technology Village. Anytime you go for exhibition, they ask you ‘where are these structures located’. So, basically, the idea of the village is to buy a land, practice what we do on that land, so that, we don’t just talk on paper, but, have structures where people can see our research output.
We also want to create a NBRRI Call Center for Artisans. If you want to build your own property and you are looking for plumbers and so on, so you don’t have to go to their houses, rather, there will be a credible place where you can locate them easily around town. When we build a Center all these Artisans will be there and people will come and patronize them.
A Center that has all the facilities in place. It’s part of our vision that each state will have an Artisan Call Center. Another issue is that you can’t read or make research without a good library, as such, we need an equipped library either an E- library or the one that has books stuffed with all latest publications. We have a library already but, my vision is to improve on the facilities that are there. NBRRI is known for what we call the Pozzolana Center which are in Ota, Ogun State and Bokkos, Plateau State. A Pozzolana is a material that is not cementitious but in the presence of Carbon dioxide and water, it becomes cementitious to nature. In other words, it’s a production from waste materials. That of Ota, we use agricultural wastes to produce Pozzolana while that of Bokkos we use volcanic wastes to produce it when you grind and put them in certain conditions, you bring them into powder form. You don’t use them alone, but, when you add some quantity of cement, it becomes perfect like cement. So, where you are expected to use 100 bags of cement with this waste, you need 70% of cement and 30% of Pozzolana. It has three advantages which are; if you look at cement production, it is associated with a lot of gasses, that are called green gasses. They affect the Ozone Layer and pollute the air. So, NBRRI has come up with the provision of Pozzolana in place of cement as supplementary quantity. We want to produce Pozzolana in different parts of the country. When you convert waste, you are sure the environment is safe and equally reducing cost of the project. We have a Foundry Center in Ozobulu, Anambra State. NBRRI is trying to construct a house that will host this Foundry Unit. We started it before but, we couldn’t complete it. However, we hope to complete it within 2-3 years.
We have developed Artisan Guidelines. They are good but, not technically inclined. We have been able to develop a Trade Manual from this, for carpenters, plumbers and the rest.
We have a Bill which has some short coming. We can’t enforce something, we can only advise by giving our input to stakeholders. We have drafted a Bill that has been submitted to the National Assembly and presently, our Distinguished Senator Uche Ekwunife, Chairman Senate Committee on Science and Technology, has been doing well. Honorable Beni Lar has also been doing well as far as pursuing our Bill. They have put their heads together to ensure that our bill is complete and once it is signed as a law, NBRRI will be able to exercise its mandates as expected. So the bill is on course and we are working towards the signing of the Bill. Most importantly, I want to say that we intend to start generating revenue for the Government. We want to see how to improve not just collecting money from the government by improving our generation and sending it back to the Government, so that the Government will be strong and other items can improve. With my Management and Staff of NBRRI, this is my vision for the Institute and I believe that it will be achieved.
Viewpoint: Recently, there are lots of petitions to the Ministry of Agriculture. They wrote a petition that they bought a Building that did not undergo Integrity Test. Were you part of the first Integrity Test Team?
Duna: No, we are not part of the Integrity Test Team. We were invited by the Ministry of Agriculture after the Building was purchased, and they were about to start the renovation of demarcation. FCTA now advised that they need an independent body to conduct that integrity test. Before FCTA, there was an integrity test that was carried out. So, they were advised to meet NBRRI to come up with an independent integrity test which we did and gave them.
Viewpoints: How has Covid 19 affected the progress of the institute?
Duna: Covid 19 has come to stay and we have to agree with the fact that there has been no family affected by it. The Institute was closed in line with Government directives since April. Gradually, it became a skeletal service and started opening and so on. Covid 19 has affected us positively and negatively in the sense that, our interactions are limited but, again, the good thing is that, initially, in terms of our job performances, we couldn’t work much in the beginning. But, since we have realized that this is something that has come to stay, we have to devise a means of working. Research officers now meet on Zoom application, we interact and everyone is able to bring a progress report from their zone. So, you can see that Covid 19 has made us to be innovative and creative by using more of technology. Again, we are able to look at what we call IMC which is the highest body of management at NIBRRI. We were able to organize a meeting with Boards of Directors in attendance, despite the fact that Covid 19 is there, we are still working.
Viewpoint: There was an Appeal to the Federal Government to step up the deployment of the innovation for Mass Housing. So far, has anything been done?
Duna: Stepping up development in Mass Housing is something that is part of NBRRI mandate. We have a UTM machine, one of the best in the country that can measure the strength of any steel of any diameter. Most times, when a building collapse, the steel seems to break, so the steel tells you the load it will carry before failure. We have quite a lot of good machines and we have been putting them into use, we have machines that test soil, concrete and so on. So, you see that it cuts across everything. We have been working as far as building is concern. We carry out a lot of research in terms of bringing up new materials for building.
Government has come up with housing as part of the piloting measures under the Vice President Committee. We made submissions as far as Mass Housing is concern, using our technology. We made these submissions through our Minister 3 weeks ago, and we are still awaiting the outcome where we want to construct different apartments available for all levels of classes in the society.
Viewpoint: What is your approach in Managing the Institute?
Duna: What I run is an open government data. On assuming office, I introduced what I call Management Advisory Committee, where we had a round table meeting and made decisions, with issues resolved. The management staff have been doing very well, I use this opportunity to commend them, our Honorable Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of State Barr Mohammed H. Abdullahi and the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Umar Tambawal. I appreciate you all.