Forestalling  Building Collapse In 2023

In recent times,Nigeria has witnessed incessant building collapse  to the dismay and concern of many citizens. Between 2020 and 2022, it has been a case of one building collapse too many across the country.  Incidentally, this menace of collapsed buildings is hardly recorded in other climes, especially in developed countries.  In April this year, there was the story of the collapse of a two-storey building under construction at Area 5, Extension in Umuguma, Owerri, West Local Government Area of Imo State. A family of seven living in the building along with two bricklayers working on the site were fortunately rescued.Here in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a three-storey building on 112 Bende Street, Old Port Harcourt Township gave way about six months ago. Though there was no record of lost life, valuable property worth millions of naira were reportedly destroyed as a part of the building serving as residential apartments and shops caved in. Recall the incident of the collapsed seven-storey building under construction in Port Harcourt in 2018 which led to the death of not less than 13 people.
But topping the list is Lagos State. Statistics from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) have it that between January and July 2022, there were no fewer than 24 cases of building collapse in the state. Most of the cases which involved completed or on-going constructions occurred in high-rise buildings with dozens of lives lost in the process According to records, no fewer than 84 persons lost their lives in 18 building collapses in Lagos State in the last two years. The latest was at Oba Idowu Oniru Street on Victoria Island which occurred on September 4, 2022 involving a 7-storey building under construction where two persons were reportedly killed. In 2020 about three building collapses were recorded, six in 2021 and nine in 2022.Also on September 10, 2020, a storey building partially collapsed at No. 26, Afolabi Alasia Street, Gaskiya Road, Ijora-Badia, Lagos State, as a result of lack of maintenance. This was followed by the collapse of a three-storey edifice of a private school, Excel College, in Ejigbo. Another storey building under construction collapsed at Lagos Island on October 11, 2020 killing four persons while eight others sustained various degrees of injuries.
The reasons for building collapse in the country are not far-fetched. While in other climes, from the architectural design to civil -structural engineering to actual construction and completion of a building project, efforts are made to ensure that laid down regulations are strictly adhered to, the same cannot be said of Nigeria. According to experts, the incessant cases of building collapse in Nigeria is as a result of poor structural design, poor compliance with specifications, poor quality control, faulty construction methodology, faulty foundation and failure to comply with policies of regulating bodies in building as well as corruption. Other factors are use of quacks and unqualified builders or building engineers and engaging in short cuts to maximise profit. Aside structural failures and other causes as enumerated above a lot of blame had equally gone to the nation’s regulatory agencies who many claim had failed in their regulatory and supervisory roles, owing to the high level of corruption in the nation which has permeated every sector of the economy. Following the ugly incidents, the Lagos Building and Control Agency, architects, builders, surveyors, town planners, engineers, and others held a meeting to address the issue.
Incidentally, building collapse is a national problem that requires a holistic approach to deal with. Governments at all levels, development control and building regulatory agencies, developers and every other person involved in building construction have roles to play. Speaking on the burning issue recently, Governor. Hope Uzodimma of Imo State blamed it on poor engineering quality. He advocated that members of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) should be allowed to discharge their duties like other professionals. The Governor, who spoke when he received in audience the President and top executive members of the NSE in Nigeria, who paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, Owerri said, “The innocent lives we lose every time there is building collapse could be avoided if the engineers were allowed to do their job as professionals.’’
Uzodimma challenged the Society to, from time to time, intervene in the areas of their profession to save the nation from the calamities occasioned by building collapse, adding that for the country to develop, the NSE must be in the forefront and be fully involved.
He regretted that over the years different governments have not given enough attention to the engineers, adding that quality construction will help the nation to develop. Uzodimma equally called for partnership between the government and the NSE for effective monitoring and supervision. On his part, Engr. Francis Chukwu, the General Manager of Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) identified the use of quacks in building construction as one of the reasons for most cases of building collapse in the country. Chukwu who spoke at the 4th Builders Workshop/Induction ceremony of the Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB), Imo State Chapter held at the institutes Secretariat at new Owerri recently, with the theme, “Adoption of Alternative Construction Approach: A Panacea to Sustainable Building Production,’’ disclosed that findings have revealed that most collapsed buildings were handled by quacks. He therefore advised developers to always engage the services of certified builders in order to avert any unpleasant consequences emanating from building collapse.
In the views of a Professor of Construction Technology/Building Materials in the Department of Building, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Okoli Godwin Obumneme, alternative methods of construction are the way to go as they  involve a wide range of techniques and materials. This, he said, was also a shift from the traditional cavity wall construction using bricks and concrete blocks. According to Obumneme, the alternative building materials are cost effective and help to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of construction, thereby saving energy and resources as well as minimize emissions through the use of rapidly renewable materials, local sources and recycled content. He regretted that there was no comprehensive legislation for the construction industry on local content development, describing it as a serious minus on the adoption of alternative construction as a panacea for sustained building production. He advised the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) as an agency of government charged with the responsibility of conducting research on construction and building materials to advertise and educate the public by building prototypes with their products in local government areas.
He also requested that researchers should be empowered to hold exhibitions of research findings from time to time. Prof. Obumneme emphasised that by doing so, the public would be sensitised about alternative materials and how best to use them for their benefits.  There should be procedures to follow when constructing a building anywhere in the country.  The existing structural development regulations in many states must be adhered to and adequately enforced, he maintained.
In the opinion of a Port Harcourt based Civil Engr., Benibo Alfred, the abundance of quacks in the building construction is a major problem which must be tackled for incidents of building collapse in the country to abate. He noted that the field of civil engineering has become an all-comers affair where many people claim to be engineers and builders even without passing through the four walls of a university.He regretted that many engineering graduates are half-baked and find it difficult to deliver on the job, suggesting that engineering students should be exposed to more practical experiences to equip them adequately to the challenges ahead of them.
Engr Alfredfurther advised property developers to always engage registered builders and engineers authorized by law to produce buildings. He decried the use of inferior materials for building construction due to high cost of building material, adding that building professionals should develop affordable housing schemes.He urged building professionals to work assiduously to transform old building methods to modern methods. In Port Harcourt, the issue of occupation of old structures must also be given due attention. Often, residents of these buildings, built during the colonial era describe them as time bomb because they have outlived their lifespan, yet many of them are occupied. Recall a Port Harcourt Township resident, Alex Loveday, after the Bende Street building collapse early in the year, blaming the state government for not ensuring compliance by taking over the building so as not to endanger human lives.
He told newsmen: “People are living inside here. I am aware that they have warned them to keep away. The first time part of it collapsed, they warned them to keep away from the vicinity.Government has not fully taken charge of it, that is why they still remain here. They don’t want to go out because nobody asked them to go out with force and they look like they are not paying any bills. But they don’t know that they are endangering their lives. The government should take over this building and do something that will help the masses so that no one will stay here. The way it is now if it falls out in any way, it may cause problems. It is better they pull down all of the buildings and erect something that will help the masses.’’

By: Calista Ezeaku