Nigeria has witnessed a disturbing surge in building collapse incidents between 2022 and 2024, tallying 135 cases and claiming at least 26 lives.
This was revealed in a report from the Building Collapse Prevention Guild.
The most recent tragedy occurred in Plateau State where 22 persons died and 132 injured after a school collapsed in the Busa Buji, Jos North Local Government Area of the state, highlighting widespread concerns over structural safety nationwide.
Comprised of experts in construction, architecture, engineering, and related fields, BCPG aims to promote safe building practices across Nigeria.
They noted that Nigeria’s first recorded building collapse dates back to October 1974 in Oyo State, resulting in 27 fatalities.
Since then, incidents have tragically persisted, including the collapse of Lagos’ tallest building on November 1, 2021, claiming 52 lives.
In 2022, a record 62 collapses were reported nationwide, with Lagos alone accounting for 20 incidents. This trend continued in 2023 with 52 collapses, including 17 in Lagos.
The grim tally continued into 2024, with notable collapses such as the May 30 incident on Lagos Island, where a four-story building crumbled, trapping individuals inside.
Investigations by BCPG revealed various causes, including professional negligence such as overloading, use of substandard materials, faulty design, poor workmanship, and weak foundations.
These findings underscore the urgent need for stricter enforcement of building codes and regulations to safeguard lives.
Reacting to the recent spate of collapses in Abuja, the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria has called for stringent sanctions against developers responsible, attributing the incidents to government negligence in enforcing laws.
Chairman Dr. Samson Opaluwah emphasized the importance of thorough investigations and punitive measures to prevent future tragedies and ensure accountability in Nigeria’s construction sector.
He said, “This collapse, unfortunately, has continued to happen, especially in areas that we can refer to as urban centres. Centres where professionals and professionalism should be extolled to the highest.
“The challenge we have now is government enforcement of its laws. We need to punish those who have been found wanting in the past.
“In all the published reports and investigations done by the FCT, we have not seen any advertised punishment to those found wanting.”
He maintained that unless steps were taken to penalize wrongdoers, the status quo would persist.
“Every building that collapses has a reason why it collapsed. And if the reason is human error, that error has to be addressed. If it was due to negligence, poor conduct, or misbehaviour, then there should be punishments and sanctions. And that is what we stand for as a council. We stand for punishing culpable individuals,” he stated.
