There has been some report of collapsed buildings resulting in death and destruction of properties in Nigeria, especially Lagos.
Nigeria has seen a sharp increase in building collapses over the past 20 years, leading to the loss of lives and livelihoods and the eviction of people.
In fact, during this time, the nation topped Africa for both frequency and severity of building collapses.
The severity of building and structural collapse in the nation is best illustrated by the fall of a 21-story building in Ikoyi, Lagos, in November 2021, which resulted in at least 45 fatalities and ten serious injuries.
Over 221 buildings collapsed in various Nigerian cities between 1974 and 2019, according to empirical information from various government agencies and an examination of the literature. More than half of the incidents occurred in Lagos, the country's commercial center.
There were 167 documented cases in Lagos between 2000 and 2021, with 78.4% involving residential buildings, 12.8% involving commercial buildings, and 8.8% involving institutional buildings.
More than 6,000 families were relocated due to this wave of building collapses, with a total estimated loss of $3.2 trillion in property. Experts have gathered to find out why buildings continue to collapse, which summarizes what we will be giving you in this content.
According to experts, there are so many reasons why buildings collapse, and this blame cannot be shifted only on a particular set of people involved in building the house but on most of the people involved in the construction one way or the other.
The following are the spotted reasons why houses collapse in Nigeria.
Failure to conduct feasibility studies and soil and site investigations, which provide the basis for the design of suitable architectural and structural drawings, may lead to defective architectural and engineering drawings.
Specifications for the project, low-quality materials, and design elements. Engineers (structure and civil) (structure and civil) may contribute if they do not insist on the necessary foundation design and soil testing.
Professional mistakes, omissions, and erroneous data can cause issues if they are not caught on time. This is one of the problems that is more than just assumptions in Nigeria, as everyone is trying to make their workload easier without considering the problem that may later occur.
Defective construction occurs when contractors do not follow the instructions of the architects and engineers.
They take this action to increase their profits. Specific materials may occasionally be replaced with inferior ones. Poor concrete mixtures, early formwork removal, and general subpar craftsmanship are other areas of concern.
Utilization of poor blocks from block factories. An investigation found that 40–45 225mm (9 in.) block molds required one bag of cement.
Contractors may engage in questionable behavior if they are not adequately supervised. It is preferable to measure the cement-sand ratio in weight rather than volume.
Steel reinforcing bars must pass tensile strength testing to determine their standard strength. The nation and its higher education institutions cannot brag about having enough laboratories to conduct these tests, such as concrete cube tests, for the quality of the concrete and water.
Building structural failures are primarily caused by using inferior materials and unproven construction techniques.
It is forbidden to start construction work before the approving authorities have authorized the plans.
The responsibility of approving potential developers falls to the three tiers of government: the Commission (for federal properties), the Board (for state lands), and the Authority (for local government lands).
Preliminary drawings may occasionally be used for construction without the approving authorities' consent. Some actions are taken in ignorance. Others are carried out in situations where the authorities' operations are unsuccessful.
Sometimes, officers of the authorizing authority fail to read designs to find flaws. They occasionally approve criminal activities while engaging in corrupt behavior.
These are illegal alterations to authorized designs. Because the foreign contractor prefers to prefabricate the components abroad and bring them to Nigeria, it happens that a structure that was initially intended to undergo on-site concreting is now constructed using pre-cast techniques. If not properly monitored, this approach could pose a risk long after the buildings have been used.
Failure to ascertain the topography's suitability and the soil's bearing capability, which determines foundation types, spells peril.
Businesses occasionally hire unqualified personnel to serve as principals on construction sites to reduce costs. As a result of this technique, unqualified workers may not be capable of spotting the dishonest actions of cunning contractors. This could result in sloppy or flawed work being covered up.
A building structure may collapse if it is built on unstable ground is not evenly loaded, or if a proper foundation is not specified following the soil characteristics. It may also collapse as a result of soil erosion or earth movement.
1. Policymakers should institutionalize proper planning, supervision, and monitoring of construction operations to guarantee that all buildings are completed following designs, specifications, and planning requirements.
2. Especially when they fall prey to ignorant consumers, professionals in the building business should uphold their integrity and professional ethics and operate following the standard practice procedures outlined by the standard form of building contracts.
3. Periodic public awareness campaigns through print and electronic media are required to educate the public on the benefits of hiring experts to create safe structures.
4. Nigeria's standard agency should closely monitor imported building materials to ensure they meet the standards.
5. Using the incorrect specialists at any level of the building process puts the structure in danger. All building professionals play crucial roles in actualizing their responsibilities during building production.
The primary consultant, the architect, is responsible for advising the customer on which professions to hire. This is accomplished by ensuring that before going to the planning authorities for a "construction permit," the structural and services drawings brought to his office are stamped and signed by professionals certified by their respective professional bodies.