BCPG Warns Against Direct Labour in High-Rise Building Projects

Bennett Oghifo

The Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Ikoyi-Obalende Cell, has warned developers and construction stakeholders in Lagos State about the risks associated with direct labour construction arrangements for high-rise buildings.

While acknowledging that such arrangements may save clients the contractor’s overheads on materials, the Guild described these practices as inappropriate for high-rise construction. It emphasised the importance of quality assurance, quality control, and adherence to standard building practices to ensure structural safety and environmental sustainability of multi-storey construction endeavours.

This warning was delivered during a sensitisation lecture organised by BCPG Ikoyi-Obalende Cell, commemorating the collapse of the 20-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Speaking on the topic “Ikoyi in Transition: From High-Brow Residential Scheme to Mixed Development – Keeping an Eye on Standards,” Tpl. Ayo Adediran, Chairman of the Lagos State Physical Planning and Building Control Appeals Committee, reflected on Ikoyi’s history as a colonial enclave known for its planned neighbourhoods and green spaces.

Tpl. Adediran noted Ikoyi’s transformation into a mixed-use urban district, highlighting the urgent need for stricter government oversight to maintain quality standards, enforce building codes, and prevent property abandonment and structural failures. He also emphasised collaboration between the government and professionals to safeguard Ikoyi’s appeal, preserve pedestrian walkways, and bolster public confidence in high-rise investments.

Former Chairperson,  Women Association of Quantity Surveyors in Nigeria (WAQSN) and the immediate past Secretary Marketing and Corporate Affairs of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mrs. Aderonke Oyelami prescribed the Bills of Quantities (BOQ) as an important tool or instrument for guiding construction costs, enabling prices to be effectively reviewed in line with inflation in order to avert quality compromise.

Expressing her deep concern over incessant building collapse in Nigeria, QS. Oyelami cited a document presented by the leadership of the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) to a Federal Government agency recently, which made reference to Section 14.2.b of the Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government..” Hence, the government could be held accountable for the loss of lives in collapsed buildings, especially in a situation where building regulations were poorly implemented.

Dr. David Adio-Moses, a senior lecturer at the Department of Architecture, University of Lagos, in his presentation, identified gaps in the domestication and implementation of the National Building Code.

“Training for Building Code enforcement officers from the seven professional bodies in the built environment is missing,” he stated, adding that Ikoyi, as an elite community, should have a green construction code. He also called for the deployment of smart digital systems, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital geospatial databases, solar power, and smart sensors, through private-public collaborations.

Engr. Wasiu Olatunde Olokunola, Structural Engineer and
former Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure analysed the structural failures in the multi-storey building that collapsed while under construction on the Banana Island, Ikoyi.  He disclosed that poor-quality sandcrete blocks known for high water-absorbing rate were used as pile cap formwork as against reliable marine plywood or steel moulds, thereby affecting workability and strength of pile caps.

He also identified non-concentric (eccentric) column loadings on a few pile caps along with substandard subsoil investigations and misaligned columns’ starter bars, among other reinforcement errors observed on the infamous Ikoyi project.

Olokunola stressed the need for engaging experienced professionals, including land surveyors, and tested geotechnical engineering firms to ensure precision and safety in construction.

The former National President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Bldr. Kunle Awobodu made a presentation on “Lessons Learned from the 20- Storey Building Collapse in Ikoyi.”  He highlighted the dangers of using direct labour in high-rise construction and reiterated the importance of strict quality assurance and control measures.

According to Awobodu, “High-rise building construction should be exclusively handled by the well- structured construction company with highly technical, skilful, and experienced teams, having the advantage of hierarchical levels of supervision. The direct labour system being adopted by some developers is prone to trial and error. It lacks inherent quality control.”

Awobodu made reference to his first site experience in 1982 as a student on industrial training at Myhoung Barracks, Yaba, Lagos.
“The project was a 4-storey building meant for nurses’ hostel. The production of the building was committed in the hands of a well- structured construction company that practicalised intensive supervision on all the trades/ sectors, inculcating in me the discipline of paying attention to construction details.
“Out of curiosity, I paid a visit to the building in October 2024 in preparation for this seminar. Nostalgia. The building has remained in good condition, and it is still being inhabited by military nurses, 42 years after construction.

“One could not have been initiated into a life of construction precision, devotion to procedural building production, and would later accommodate or tolerate shoddy work. Competency is a prerequisite for the formation of an acceptable construction team.

“If a mere 4-storey building could have been given such a diligent construction process, then those high-rise buildings being developed in Ikoyi and its environs deserve stricter measures.”

Surv. Kolade Kasim, the
Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) Lagos State Branch, emphasised the critical role of land surveyors and precision equipment in high-rise construction. He explained that advanced tools, beyond plumb bobs and spirit levels, are necessary for aligning structural and architectural members.
ESV. Offiong Samuel Ukpong,

former Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) Lagos State Branch, advocated for periodic post-occupancy evaluations to maintain the structural fitness of buildings and reduce fatalities from collapses.

Prince Akintoye Adeoye, the President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), reiterated the commitment of his association’s members to professionalism and accountability. He called for enhanced industry collaboration to combat quackery in the construction sector.
Prince Adeoye also recognised the need to discourage the inimical direct labour system of construction in multi-storey buildings.

The moderator of the webinar, who is the Chairman of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Ayuba Akere, a quantity surveyor, reiterated the importance of synergy among built environment professionals on building projects in order to meet the expectations of clients and completing such projects successfully.

The Coordinator of BCPG Ikoyi-Obalende Cell, Arc. Bola Arilesere said, “The collapse of a multi-storey building in a highbrow Ikoyi, the tallest of all the buildings that have collapsed in Nigeria, was not an enviable record. The essence of marking the third anniversary of the collapsed 20-storey building (wrongly referred to as 21-storey) was to encourage professionalism and remind construction professionals and building artisans the importance of paying attention to details in building construction, especially high-rise buildings in order to avoid a recurrence.”
This sensitisation programme underscores BCPG’s dedication to promoting adherence to building codes and standards. By addressing these critical issues, the Guild aims to prevent avoidable tragedies and foster a safer, more resilient built environment for all.