Building collapse has become rampant in Nigeria, so much so that the news of another collapse doesn’t make anyone screech. There have been reported cases in almost every state with the government coming up with a hurried knee-jerk response. Still, none has been as touching as the recent school building that collapsed in Jos, the Plateau State capital, where 22 children died and 132 others were rescued and hospitalised. Reported cases of building collapse in Abuja, Anambra, Kano, Abia, Imo and Lagos underscore the seriousness of the issue. Essentially, public discourse has been on who should take the blame and responsibility when such an incident occurs. However, there seems to be a general opinion that never-ending building failure is due to corruption and regulatory and governance failure. OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports.
Saint Academy building in Jos, the Plateau State capital, caved in while students were writing their examinations. Volunteers used excavators, hammers and their bare hands to break through the piles of concrete and twisted iron rods to reach many of those trapped in the rubble.
Police told reporters that at least 22 children died as a result of the collapsed building; with many more who received treatment in the school believed to have been more than 1,000 pupils.
The Plateau State Government said an investigation has been initiated, even as they cited the school’s “weak structure and unsafe location near a riverbank,” advising other schools “with structural concerns” to close immediately.
“The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria Representative, Cristian Munduate, lamented that she was “devastated by the tragic loss of young lives at Saint Academy.”
She regretted that the children were full of dreams before the school building collapsed, resulting in their deaths. She urged for more proactive actions from the government to prevent future occurrence of such incident.
There have been several major building collapses in Nigeria in recent years, with stakeholders blaming it on a mix of bad workmanship, poor quality materials, regulatory failure and corruption.
In 2021, at least 45 people were killed when a high-rise building under construction collapsed in Ikoyi, a Lagos neighbourhood.
There have also been several reports of buildings collapsing and leading to loss of lives in different parts of the country.
Studies reveal that lack of implementation of proper regulatory policies and the implementation of such policies rank high. It’s common to see developers or individuals who get approval to build a bungalow from the Town Planning Office but end up building something different.
For instance, an approval for a bungalow can be converted to a three-storey building and can be developed without the agencies of government checking the gross infraction that may lead to building failure and loss of lives.
Questions have been asked on why government agencies, for instance, mark buildings with oxide colour signalling the building is in contravention just to attract the attention of the owner “to see them and do something if the building construction must be allowed to continue.”
The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has not been able to check the influx of fake and substandard building materials into the market as it’s almost impossible to find building materials market free of a huge percentage of fake and substandard building materials. All these contribute to frequent building failures because those that are supposed to ensure that our markets are free of these fake products have allegedly been compromised.
Though building collapse happens in about every state in the country, Lagos State seems to top the ignoble list. The recent collapse of a three-storey building under construction at No 13, Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate, Mende in Maryland, Lagos in the early hours of Thursday, July 25 2024 that led to the death of five people has raised anxiety in the building and environment sub-sectors.
In an open letter to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a group, the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) said the premature death of residents as a result of building collapses should not be condoned.
The letter signed by the Kosefe Cell Coordinator and Secretary, Adesoji Adeniji and Abdufattah Balogun respectively, the group, comprising the seven professionals in the building and environment sub-sectors such as builders, architects, engineers, estate surveyors, quantity surveyors, surveyors and town planners reads: “We are emotionally pained by this incident because the government officials have been monitoring building construction in this estate, complementing our relentless advocacy against building collapse.”
They called for an investigation of the collapsed building to prevent the recurrence of building collapses, especially those that are being constructed and those that have recently been completed.
The letter further reads: “The existence of wetlands within the Kosofe Local Government Area as a result of its nearness to the Lagoon has been a difficult challenge to physical development. Therefore, any building that would stand the test of time in this weak terrain must have a special foundation, especially pile foundation. Unfortunately, some of the methods of construction being adopted here were sub-standard, leading to sinking and tilting of some buildings.
“The BCPG Kosofe Cell has consistently advocated the necessity of thorough geotechnical investigations, given the challenging soil conditions in our jurisdiction. We have repeatedly emphasised the importance of conducting proper soil investigations prior to selecting foundation types and ensuring that building developers adhere to established standards during the construction phase, as highlighted in our seminars and workshops.
“Following our visit to the collapsed building site, we made some observations that raised several critical concerns, warranting investigation by the state government to establish the actual cause(s) of this particular building collapse and recalibrate the integrity of the construction sector.
“The building was reported to be at the finishing stage when it collapsed, with damaged roof members and plumbing materials observed. Newly constructed pile caps were seen on site, raising questions about the construction practice employed. Moreover, there were other occupied buildings in the vicinity with visibly tilted walls and columns. These structures ought to be inspected immediately by both the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL) to prevent another potential collapse.”
The group posed some questions to spur relevant authorities of government to action. Such questions included the site where the new piles and pile caps were constructed, methodology employed in the construction of the new piles if they were indeed newly constructed and if the chosen methodology contributed to the collapse of the structure.
They observed that LASBCA has a well-defined stage approval and certification process, along with a technical audit of on-site works and therefore asked when the last stage of certification was conducted, the timeline for the construction activities, commencement date, dates of installing the new piles and concreting pile caps including the time of the collapse.
Furthermore, they requested to know where the quality test results for the concrete and materials used in the construction of the collapsed structure were done and if the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory took note of the questionable quality of concrete used in the building.
In their recommendation, they canvassed a non-destructive testing (NDT) of adjoining buildings; conduct NDT on all visibly tilting buildings within the estate, particularly around the collapsed building site, to prevent further incidents, as signs of distress have been observed. They also hinted on the need for the assessment of the strength and stability of these structures in relation to the soil properties in the area.
While calling for the verification of previously-submitted soil investigation reports, they noted that soil investigation reports are a critical requirement for construction in the state. They urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to verify the geotechnical surveys submitted for the collapsed building and adjacent structures to understand the soil properties and conditions.
The letter urged that negligence or poor investigation regarding geotechnical recommendations should attract severe penalties.
Further in their demands, they asked for forensic reporting of fatal building collapses based on the fact that rescue operations can disrupt credible evidence of building collapse causes and recommended that forensic investigations be conducted concurrently with rescue operations.
According to them, the multi-disciplinary approach will help in exposing any malpractice in the industry and mitigate the activities of unqualified practitioners. This will also make unequivocal the political will, not only to take over sites of collapsed buildings but to punish the avoidable crimes against humanity.
Calling for accountability and training, the group said, in addition to exposing malpractice, significant penalties should be imposed for any man-made errors in the construction process. They advised the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) to train its staff to perform thorough technical audits of ongoing projects.
They insisted that construction projects in the state must adhere to both local and international building standards which ensure the use of quality materials and proper construction techniques, also reiterating why it is necessary for public officials to avoid corruption in their monitoring activities.
BCPG also canvassed the need for government agencies to carry out regular and rigorous inspections throughout all phases of construction, issuing stage certifications only after confirming compliance with the established standards and codes.
During these inspections, the safety audit and online ratings of contractors with projects in the state should be evaluated weekly and made public. The status and activities of building monitoring agencies at any site should also be transparent while construction companies must be held accountable for the safety and integrity of their buildings, with mechanisms in place to penalise non-compliance and reward adherence to safety standards, the statement added.
Highlighting quackery in the design and supervision of construction works, they suggested that the government should establish a database for individuals authorised to carry out construction activities within the state.
According to them, a comprehensive list of all licensed professionals practising in Lagos must be maintained and their years of experience. The competence, roles, and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in the construction process should be documented.
Developers, construction companies, professional consultants, and relevant government agencies must demonstrate their competence and experience, participating at their own risk in any construction projects.
Issues related to design indemnity, contractors’ all-risk insurance, and workers’ compensation policies, as well as the developers’ competence and budget adequacy for the works, should be thoroughly assessed before construction permits are granted with the reevaluation of the actual role and impact of the Lagos State Safety Commission on building sites.
This simultaneous multi-disciplinary approach will help in exposing any malpractice in the industry and mitigate the activities of unqualified practitioners within the state.
This, according to them, will also make unequivocal the political will, not only to take over sites of collapsed buildings but to punish the avoidable crime against humanity.
In addition, construction companies must be held accountable for the safety and integrity of their buildings, with mechanisms in place to penalise non-compliance and reward adherence to safety standards.
In conclusion, the letter stated that it’s apparent that the latest incident of building collapse in Kosofe underscores significant failures in construction practices and regulatory oversight functions.
“We, therefore, urge your esteemed office to consider these recommendations seriously and to initiate a government probe into the systemic issues contributing to these tragedies. Collaborative effort among governmental agencies, construction companies, and the community is required to ensure adherence to safety standards and accountability at all levels.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), Samson Duna attributed frequent building collapses to the use of sub-standard materials among others.
According to Duna, 80 percent of building collapses happen during the rainy season due to some natural causes in addition to the use of sub-standard materials.
On the way forward, he recommended training and retraining of engineers and professionals in the construction sector.
He advised that the government and professional bodies should sensitise the general public to the steps to follow when embarking on building projects.
He said: “All professional bodies should strengthen their arm of monitoring, to ensure they function effectively during project supervision. The professionals must be involved in monitoring and evaluation of building projects and funds for the supervision should be incorporated in the cost of the project.”
The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Prof. Sadiq Zubair Abubakar said there was a need for stakeholders to synergise to address the challenge of building collapse.
“The construction environment needs to be well organised and structured to do this and COREN has set up 10 committees to look at 10 sectors in this regard,” he said.
