Building collapse in various parts of the country has been attributed to lack of professional planning as well as use of inferior materials, the Managing Director, Best Shelter, Mrs Folashade Salabiu Awokoya, said at the weekend.
Mrs Awokoya, who identified adulterated goods and the penchant for people to take over professional job of building their individual houses without the technical know-how of building, for minimising cost, said these are catalysts for incessant building collapse.
“People don’t think of the future; no research on the land they intend to build on; they are the engineers of their own houses; they lack the will to consult before beginning the foundation of their houses. These factors and so many others contribute to building collapse in this country,” she said.
According to her, erosion problem should not have been a thing of concern at all, if proper planning and soil test were taken into cognizance before erecting building on any land.
Mrs Awokoya asked: “The foundational cost may look high but is it not better than shoddy and stingy spending which would be costlier when the whole building collapses, especially when lives are involved?”
She said the firm is determined to ensure that avoidable pitfalls that could lead to building collapse and its attendant loss of lives and money become things of the past.
“We are doing this by enjoining members of the public to join membership of join Best Shelter Club where we engage services of qualified building engineers and professionals who from time to time, educate us on how to take care of our building from the foundational level up to finishing stages.
“We are blessed with professionals and engineers whose skills have been tested, reliable and proved to be worthy of presentation as far as strong and time-tested buildings are concerned.
“We provide services to civil servants, artisans, business women within and outside Ogun State. Our company renders simple shelter services. These include acquiring estate and landed property for our numerous members through monthly contributory system. We also produce quality blocks, paints, interlocks, and sales of cements to our members,” she said.
Tag: Building collapse:
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‘Quackery, others cause building collapse’
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Uyo death toll now 29 – Police
… Why we can’t release victims’ names – Force
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Monday said it cannot release the names of those killed in Saturday’s building collapse at the Reigners Bible Church International, Uyo, until it completes the profiling of dead victims.
Speaking on behalf of the command, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Cordelia Nwawe, said the names of the dead victims would be released to members of the public and the family members as soon as the police concludes the profiling of the corpses.
Nwawe also said the death toll had risen to 29.
The PPRO said, “It was 27 dead persons yesterday (Sunday). It is now 29.”
“We are still doing profiling of the dead victims. We cannot release the names now. We need to critically identify them so that we can release them to their families.”
When asked if any arrest had been made following Governor Udom Emmanuel’s order that police should arrest the project contractors, Nwawe said the command is yet to arrest anybody.
“We will do that when the need arises,” she added.
When contacted, the Chief Medical Director, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, Prof. Etete Peters, said names of the dead victims would be released as soon as the police completes its profiling of the dead persons.
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Church collapses during service in Uyo
Rescue workers are battling to evacuate victims in a church building which collapsed in Uyo on Saturday while service was in session.
Some senior government officials are suspected to be among the victims.
The casualty figure is yet to be known.
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Govt expresses worry over frequent building collapse
The Federal Government at the weekend said it was deeply concerned and worried about the constant collapse of building structures across the country.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated this at the 29th annual conference of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers in Abuja.
Fashola, who was represented by the Director of Engineering Services at the ministry, Mrs. Esther Okougha, blamed the constant collapse of buildings on the use of substandard materials by engineers and contractors.
In his keynote address, the minister stressed that residential and commercial structures should be designed and constructed in a manner that would ensure structural stability, adding that Nigeria had recorded a fair share of collapse of engineering structures, especially buildings.
He urged operators in the building environment to improve their skills in order to reduce the frequency of building collapse that are being recorded across the country.
He said: “The issue of building collapse is of great concern to the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, because lives, properties and investments are lost and victims suffer permanent disability.
“One may ask why do we have frequent building collapse in Nigeria. Some of the causes include lack of adequate specification, inadequate design, absence of or inadequate supervision by relevant agencies and experts, poor workmanship, use of fake and substandard building materials, poor and incorrect method of construction, building aging.
“Although in Nigeria we don’t usually believe that a building can age, but truly it can age. Other causes include the use of unqualified contractors, non-adherence to building regulations and bye-laws, corruption and force majeure.”
The minister told the conference that reliable statistics had shown that building collapse in Nigeria dates back to 1985 and had remained a challenge across the country.
“Therefore, the theme for this year’s conference, ‘Issues on Failure of Engineering Structures in Nigeria’, is not out of point,” he stated.
He noted that it was common knowledge that engineering structures were designed and constructed for specific purposes and stressed that such structures must be safe.
“History has shown that the effect of failure is very devastating. Therefore a high level of skilled professionalism is needed to address the possible causes of structural failures which may be at the stage of the design, construction or supervision,” Fashola said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the President, NIStructE, Oreoluwa Fadayomi, an engineer, said the theme for the conference was chosen in order to discuss issues relating to the failure of engineering structures like buildings, roads, bridges, drains, culverts and dams.
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Building collapse: COREN to sanction erring firms
Following the increasing spate of building collapse, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has vowed to sanction erring firms and personnel.
A statement by the Registrar, Kamila Maliki, after its 151st council meeting, said: “Considering the report of the Regulation and Control Committee, the council noted the alarming rate of building collapse in Nigeria resulting in the loss of life and property.
“The council resolved that more than ever before, erring engineering firms and personnel would be sanctioned in accordance with its Code of Ethics.”
According to the statement, the council considered the report of the Universities Accreditation Visitation to the Engineering Programmes of Nigerian Universities in the third quarter of 2016 where 10 programmes were visited in four universities in the country.
Maliki noted that six programmes got full accreditation while four received interim accreditation.
The statement said COREN noted that the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, graduated five sets of students, numbering 142 between 2010 and 2015 in two undergraduate programmes (Agric and Bioresource Engineering) and (Polymer and Textile Engineering, which were not accredited.
It added that the council resolved that in line with its Act, the products of such programmes will not be registered and cannot practice in Nigeria or anywhere.
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One dead in school building collapse
One person was killed and many others were injured yesterday when a private primary school building collapsed on Ajose Street, Amukoko, Lagos.
The building has since been sealed off by Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) officials.
Some residents also yesterday spoke of what they called insecurity in some public schools in Agbado-Oke-Odo.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the government should construct fences in the schools for pupils safety.
The residents said the pupils were exposed to danger because of their schools’ location.
They listed the affected schools as African Church Primary Schools I and II, Ile-Iwe, Meiran, and Community Primary School, Agbado-Oke-Odo.
NAN observed that the three schools, which are on the same premises, are along Ajasa Command Road and Meiran road which intersect each other.
Mrs Alimat Kareem, a parent, told NAN that stakeholders had written several letters to the government on the matter.
According to her, lack of perimeter fencing, poor and inadequate facilities are posing danger to the pupils.
Kareem said the pupils were also exposed to health hazards from pollutions, kidnapping and negative influences from street urchins.
“When you visit the schools in the evening, area boys and hoodlums have taken ownership of the place, playing football and smoking Indian hemp.
“Throughout the long holidays, government did not rehabilitate the schools.”
Another parent, Mrs Kemi Oluwalogbon, also expressed concern on the increasing moral decadence among pupils, which she attributed to the current economic recession in the country.
Oluwalogbon said the economic challenges forced parents to put their wards in such public school.
She said the increase in school enrolment had made it difficult for the security men to manage the pupils’ population in the schools.
“The situation in the school is bad.
“Children are kept in a school without perimeter fence and security gate in Lagos in this period of kidnapping and abduction.
“Government should do something to safeguard the safety of the pupils,” she added.
Mr Adetokunbo Ifederu, another parent, said that apart from insecurity, the school environment was not conducive for learning.
“Good environment helps students to assimilate whatever they are being taught in class.
“There is no way an average child can learn under such condition and you expect him or her to come out in flying colours.
“Although there are some of them who are brilliant and can cope under such circumstances.”
When contacted, Mr Seyi Adelusi, the Public Relations Officer of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), told NAN that the state government was aware of the situation.
He assured that the board would rehabilitate the affected schools soon.
Adelusi said many primary schools had been earmarked for rehabilitation and that the schools in question would also benefit.
“The schools will be rehabilitated soon; it is one of the cardinal programmes of this administration to rehabilitate schools and we have identified them.
“The perimeter fencing in the schools will also be reconstructed as soon as possible,” he said.
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Mudslide kills newlywed woman in Lagos shanty
•Two rescued, many homeless
A 16-YEAR-OLD girl, Faizan Mohammed was yesterday confirmed dead after their residence collapsed in Lagos.
The incident occurred around 9am at Kuata Area by Amara Olu Street, Mechanic Village, Agidingbi in ikeja.
It was gathered that their makeshift residence, located in a swampy area, collapsed following a mudslide.
She died barely 10 days after her marriage to Mohammed, who escaped death by the whiskers alongside her mother, Hawa.
The collapse occurred less than 24 hours after the partial collapse of a Mosque, situated on 3, Adepitan Street, off Ramat Crescent, Ojudu.
It was gathered that the heavy downpour that began on Sunday has affected many defective structures, forcing the state government to issue evacuation notices to residents of flood prone communities.
According to eyewitnesses, the deceased, who was inside one of the shanties, was trapped under the mud.
It was learnt that of about 30 structures located in the area, only four were destroyed by the mudslide.
Residents claimed that the deceased’s husband and mother were outside when the incident occurred and their screaming made other occupants to flee their shanties.
Speaking at the scene, Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, ordered squatters living in the shanties around Amara-Olu community to vacate the area immediately.
Adejare said the government will no longer condone lawlessness and watch its people die due to avoidable disasters.
Confirming the incident, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Michael Akindele and Southwest spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, said Adejare, who visited the scene has ordered the demolition of the other structures, insisting that the area was unsuitable for habitation.
Akindele warned residents of flood prone areas to relocate to upland until after the heavy rains to avert loss of lives.
All buildings in the area were demolished. The residents, shop owners and mechanics were forced to pack their belongings and vacate the area.
Some of them had their belongings already demolished before they could pack them out.
A generator mechanic in the area, Mr Anthony Imeri, from Delta State, said the whole incidence was a surprise to him.
“I was at work on the Island when I received a call on what was happening here, but before I could get here, my shop has being demolished. I could not pick anything. It is sorrowful, “he said.
An auto-mobile mechanic said he never had a prior notice that they should not work in the area.
He said: “This government has rendered me jobless. I will have to start all over again. I will survive but life will be difficult in the meantime.”
The mechanic said he hoped that the government will relocate them to another place.
A resident in the area, who pleaded for anonymity, told The Nation, that the demolition of their homes without a prior notice was unfair.
“As you can see, they told us to pack our load into the bus, we don’t know where they are taking our properties to. I don’t know where I will sleep tonight, I am sad”, she said, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
On the partially collapsed Mosque, Akindele said residents of 2, Amoo Street, Off Ojudu Road, Ojota have been given a 48-hour notice to vacate the premises.
According to him, the building was structurally defective due to poor maintenance, poor plumbing work and sewage systems.
He stated that the building beside it was in the same condition but the occupants have vacated it.
“No life was lost and nobody sustained any injury. The occupants of the building at 2, Amoo Street, Off Ogudu Road were given 48 hours to vacate while the necessary agencies have been contacted to take necessary actions to avert danger. The buildings have also been cordoned off”, he said.
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Six rescued in Abuja building collapse
•Why we didn’t demolish building, by FHA
Six labourers were rescued yesterday after a section of the building they were working on collapsed in Abuja, about 1.45 am.
The building, on Plot 444, Citec Villas in Gwarinpa, according to residents and security operatives, is owned by a former Osun State governor.
Yesterday, six persons were rescued while two others remained trapped.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria Security, Civil Defence Corps. (NSCDC) and Federal Fire Service carried out rescue operations.
They used sniffer dogs and infra-red detectors to check for survivors in the rubble.
It was gathered that the site engineer was out of the country when the incident happened.
Eyewitnesses said the labourers would have died if not for the prompt intervention of security operatives.
A resident, Mr. Femi Omooba, said: “NEMA and civil defence officials got here around 3 am. If not for them, some of these people would have died.”
Director General, Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Alhaji Abbas Idriss, who led the FCT fire station Search and Rescue team, said eight persons were involved in the accident; six were rescued alive and the search for two others was on.
He warned construction workers to stop sleeping on site, as it is dangerous.
Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Prof. Mohammad Al-Amin, yesterday said the authority did not demolish the collapsed building for safety reasons.
Al Amin, who addressed a news conference yesterday, said FHA initially issued a demolition notice to the developer, Global Success Resource Centre, on March 30 but it failed to comply.
He said the developer went ahead to erect the additional strucutre in a green area meant for recreation after three warnings.
According to him, experts discovered the anomaly six months ago, adding that the building would have been demolished in June but the exercise was suspended after thugs were mobilised to attack the demolition team.
He added that a meeting was held with the Demolition Control Department of the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCDA) to begin modalities for the proper demolition before the incident happened.
His words: “We were concerned about security of our workers, type of equipment to be deployed and we are to execute it in partnership with the demolition control unit of the FCDA.
“We have sealed up the premises and directed that be work stopped. We have also inaugurated a team of experts comprising of town planners, estate managers, architects and engineers to study the situation, look at the policy and property file so as to identify the problem, proffer solutions and prevent a recurrence.
“In due course, we will come out with detailed explanations of the remote and immediate causes of the collapse.”
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VC: only five injured in building collapse
Vice Chancellor of the Kano State University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil, Prof Shehu Alhaji Musa has debunked rumours that 20 people died when part of a building collapsed in the Department of Architecture.
Musa, at an emergency news conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, said only five persons sustained injuries, while no life was lost in the accident.
The VC explained that of the five, two had been discharged.
He said only one suffered a fracture, insisting no student was injured, contrary to reports.
“We assure parents that our students are safe. Immediately after the incident, we mobilised security agencies and health workers from within and outside the university community to the scene.”
Prof Musa hinted that the university authorities have raised a committee to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the incident, adding that excavation has begun.
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WOMAN KILLED AS ANOTHER LAGOS BUILDING COLLAPSES
A two-storey building at 9 Alli Close, Mile 12, Lagos, collapsed yesterday morning killing a 47-year-old woman.
Michael Akindele, general manager of the Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), who confirmed the incident, said rescue operation was ongoing.
He attributed the incident to poor maintenance of the building.
“It was a partial collapse which affected the balcony of the building. One female victim was killed and the building has been condoned off for safety. The agencies on ground include LASEMA, ERT, Lagos State fire service and the Nigerian police force, Alapere division.
“Investigation and assessment conducted revealed that the building had shown sign of distress as some portion of the balcony was caving in.
“The 47-year-old woman sustained bodily injury and died on her way to the hospital. The occupants of the 16-room building have been evacuated and the building condoned off for safety.”
The incident happened two weeks after a building collapsed at Lekki, killing about 34 persons.