‘Defective Foundation, Not Responsible For SCOAN Building Collapse’

A geo-technical engi
neer, Mr. Joseph Falayan, has debunked the claim that a defective foundation was responsible for the collapse of a guest house within the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).
Falayan, the Principal Partner of Progress Engineering Company, said this while testifying before the Coroner’s inquest investigating the cause of the collapse of the six-story building of September 12th, 2014.
He noted that the 2.2 metres by 2.2 metres used for the foundation base was adequate for the structure.
“As a practising geo-technical engineer with over 45 years of experience, it is my view that the soil under those foundation did not fail. The pad used in the construction did not constitute a failure,” he testified.
He said that, although he was not a structural engineer, there was the need to investigate the failure of all the columns above the foundation.
Falayan therefore urged the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to carry out further investigation on the incident.
“It is a wake-up call for us in the engineering profession. We need to know why the building collapsed,” he said.
Some documents were tendered from the state ministry of physical planning and urban development, including the approval plan for the main auditorium of the church as well as a general survey of the entire complex.
The inquest was set up by the Lagos State Government to investigate the building collapse which killed 166 people, mainly South Africans.
The state material agency had claimed in its structural integrity test on the building that it collapsed due to defective foundation.