Building Collapse in Nigeria, Bad Image to Real Estate Development

ESV Gold Ita

Available statistics show that Nigeria needs N5.5 trillion to close its housing gap of 20 million units. To bridge this whopping gap, 550,000 homes or houses must be built and delivered annually over the next decade. Despite this very disturbing statistics, building collapses in Nigeria have been very persistent over the years. What a paradox! The frequent building collapses across the major cities of Nigeria, resulted in the loss of lives and properties.  This ugly development is painting the Nigerian real estate industry, especially the property development segment in a bad image before the local and international communities.
Professionals in the industry have attributed a lot of factors to the persistent building collapses in Nigeria to a number of factors. Chiefly among these factors are the use of substandard building materials, the engagement of non-professionals as builders, regulatory failures engendered by corruption, design issues, environmental factors, and economic pressures occasioned by the tough operating economy.

In a recent online newspaper report, the Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN) has it that in seven months, 22 cases of building collapse, and 33 deaths. According to COREN, all these occur between January and July 2024.  This disturbing report from COREN, a professional institution cum body that is saddled with the task of quality assurance in the Nigerian built environment calls for the urgent need for change. The above scenario has caused a lot of trauma, loss of lives, property damages, loss of accumulated wealth, painting the industry in a very bad image, among other effects.

On the way forward, quality assurance is a task that should be undertaken by all professionals in the Nigerian built environment. The use of non-professionals should be checked in all spheres of building construction across Nigeria. The government has a key role to play in this regard. The government’s relevant agencies should enforce adherence to building codes.  Most building collapses were attributed to poor deliveries by quack which has become a big problem in the industry.

Leveraging technology in housing delivery will equally help in addressing the consistent housing collapses in Nigeria.  Massive campaigns on why only professionals should be patronized should be championed by the government and professionals in the real estate space.  This is a threat to the built environment, and one of the key ways to address it is when professionals in the environment come together to fight quacks and regain their professional territory for the common good of Nigerians. 
ESV Gold Ita is a Calabar-based registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer