THE NIGERIAN FACTORS IN BUILDING COLLAPSE CASES IN NIGERIA.

It would not be an overstatement to say that building collapse is akin to air mishap owing to the fact that there is very low chance of survival by anyone involved and so its occurrence should FEROCIOUSLY avoided like a plague. Sadly, the reverse is the case in this part of the world as a result of unhidden "Nigerian Factors" that have led to series of building collapses and until lasting solutions are found for those factors, the end may be far from us.

According to the Nigerian Building And Road Research Institute, about one hundred and ninety nine (199) people died in four Nigerian collapsed buildings between 2014 and 2016 while in the year 2012, thirty three (33) building collapses in Lagos and 22 in Abuja were recorded, according to housing ministry figures. More than 54 cases of collapsed buildings were recorded in 2017 across Nigeria, these are jaw breaking records that calls for digging deep into the root causes with a view to finding lasting solutions.

In my opinion based on my background in Urban & Regional Planning and years of experience in Real Estate Practice most of the causes could be traced to Nigeria factors and some are briefly explained below:

1. DOUBLE STANDARD:

In Nigeria, the law, codes and standards applicable to the poor may not necessarily be applicable to the high and mighty possibly because of there political affiliation, socia status and strong influence. With reference to the recent collapsed twenty one (21) storey building on Gerrald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. There was a report that approval was granted on the building for (15) and the developer went in contrary up to twenty one (21) floors while another says approval was granted for 21 floors, who should we believe? It was also reported that the building had been sealed off sometime on July… So, who unseal it?

2. BUREAUCRACY IN SECURING PLANNING PERMIT:

Leave it or take it, the bureaucracy in securing planning permit atimes could be frustrating. Aside that, it has now
become a major source of revenue generation for most Government Agencies. The process should be made more transparent and affordable to encourage many people instead of looking for ways to navigate around the the law so as to escape the huge revenue request by Government agencies. A project not thoroughly checked for errors by professionals and granted approval at the design stage is bound to fail at the construction stage. However, those involved at the planning authority should be more strict with rules and should not allow Nigerian Factors of bending rules to influence them.

3. CONSTRUCTION MONITORING AND CONTROL:

In Lagos, the Lagos State Building Control Agency(LASBCA) was established to ensure that buildings in Lagos State are designed, constructed and maintained to high standards of safety so as to avoid loss of lives and properties through its building regulatory system aimed to achieve zero percent building collapse. The responsibilities of the agency are well spelt out in the law by which it was established of which one is monitoring of construction sites to ensure strict adherence to approved development permit, standards and certification of various stages of construction. But can we say the agency is performing to expectation?

4. SUB- STANDARD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS:

An average Nigerian business man or woman can go to any length to maximize his/her profit not minding the consequences on the consuming populace. That's another horrible Nigerian Factor. However, government set up agencies to ensure goods and materials coming into the country are at par with International Standard. I could remember the days of war against fake & substandard drugs by NAFDAC that brought sanity to some extent to the industry. Can we talk same about the Standard Organisation of Nigeria?

The Standard Organisation of Nigeria is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring goods and materials coming into the country are of acceptable standard, but how come substandard construction materials still flood into Nigeria markets with nobody to protect both the innocent and deliberate end users.

5. AVOID ENGAGING PROFESSIONALS:

For reasons not yet clear to me, Nigerians do not like to pay for quality service and would rather settle for less. Truly, to engage a certified professional might cost a lot but it worth it because of the end result. But when a typical Nigerian is charged a few thousands or millions for a professional service, he or she would rather want to opt for lesser option not minding the expertise.

In construction, there are design team (comprising Architect, Quantity Surveyor, Structural Engineer, Electrical etc) and Construction team comprising an Architect, Town Planner, Surveyor, Engineer, Plumber, Electrician, Bricklayer, Carpenter etc. Therefore, construction is a team work but when you want a foreman to perform all the roles or do it myself syndrome which is a "Nigerian Factor" the result could be collapse of the building.

I could go on and on but would stop here to make a suggestion. I want to believe Nigeria is still blessed with enough trustworthy and no nonsense independent professionals in the built industry. Government at the State level could set up an independent body comprising notable professionals in private practice to which Nigerians could submit petitions in case they observe any abnomalty at a construction site for investigation and action by the body, may be that could help in reducing the menace of building collapses.

Finally, my sincere condolences to the families of those that lost there loved ones in the recent collapse and those in the past.

You can talk to us if you wish to engage our services for the following:

1. Property Sale, Purchase, Letting, Leasing or management.
2. Perfection of Title Documents such as processing of C of O, Governor's Consent etc.
3. Land Title Search
4. Processing Development Approval
5. Property Evaluation as proof of home tie for Visa application.

Please contact +2348032296562, +2348117949689 (whatsapp only) +2349049045703 or send us an e-mail at a2realmartoptions@gmail.com

Written by:
Akintayo Akinlolu