THE FREQUENCY OF BUILDING COLLAPSE

Regulators should do well by ensuring that building codes are complied with

The frequent occurrence of building collapse cases in Nigeria has raised concerns about the need for stricter enforcement of professional codes and regulations to protect lives. In the past two years, Nigeria has experienced no fewer than 135 incidents and dozens of fatalities, according to a report by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), a professional organisation that aims to prevent the collapse of buildings and promote safe and sustainable practices nationwide. Investigations by the guild, made up of experts in the fields of building construction, architecture and engineering, revealed that professional ineptitude, including excessive loading, use of substandard materials, poor workmanship, and weak foundation contributed significantly to the collapses.

Meanwhile, the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria chairman, Samson Opaluwah also blames government negligence in enforcing laws and regulations. “This collapse, unfortunately, has continued to happen, especially in areas that we can refer to as urban centres, where professionals and professionalism should be extolled to the highest,” Opaluwah said while calling on relevant regulatory agencies to be alive to their responsibilities. “The challenge we have now is government enforcement of its laws. We need to punish those who have been found wanting in the past. In all the published reports and investigations done by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), we have not seen any advertised punishment to those found wanting.”

In the case of the recent Jos building collapse that claimed the lives of 22 students, the preliminary report of an investigating panel instituted by the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) revealed that on physical observation, the building looked distressed while weak materials were used for the construction. The report also observed that the quality of the concrete used to construct the two-storey building was in doubt, as there was no boundary between the concrete and the steel reinforcement. Besides, the report noted that the slab reinforcement anchorage provided for the structure was inadequate.

 Many stakeholders express the need for stricter enforcement of building codes and regulations to prevent frequent building collapse, and protect lives. In other climes, buildings don’t just collapse every other day. That is because there are procedures to follow when constructing a building. But in Nigeria, these conventions are hardly adhered to because of poor enforcement of laws. 

 Authorities at all levels should therefore be concerned that too much blood is being spilled needlessly in Nigeria’s building industry for all sorts of reasons that even professionals in the sector recognise as avoidable. Cases of building collapse cut across offices, schools, residential areas, churches, and business premises. Yet the construction of a building, according to the Nigerian Society of Structural Engineers, “is expected to be managed by qualified professionals including structural engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, architects, quantity surveyors,” among others. Lack of professionalism in the industry has led to unethical dealings like the use of cheap and inferior materials, improper supervision, and distortion of original building plans.

As we have consistently advocated, there is an urgent need for a complete overhaul of the nation’s building and construction regulations. A policy should be put in place whereby any professional connected with a collapsed building should forfeit their license and face the full weight of the law. The land upon which the collapsed building was erected should be forfeited to the government. Buildings marked for demolition by town planning authorities, should be demolished without delay. Unless drastic steps are taken and building codes implemented to the letter, the nation will continue to have these avoidable serial disasters.