AN EXAMINATION OF THE CAUSES OF FREQUENT BUILDING COLLAPSE IN NIGERIA

ESV. ANDREW MEKWUNYE

Shelter is one of the essential needs for man after food. Building construction have processes that starts from conceptualization of idea of what type of building that somebody wants to build. This idea necessitates the engagement of a registered Architect to put the whole idea into drawing thereafter transform into physical construction. The physical construction starts from the excavation of trenches which will be determined by the site Engineer to advise on the depth and size of the trenches. It is the foundation that has the strength to carry every other load that will be added to the building till completion including household equipment. But, some building collapsed even when the construction is ongoing when the exact loads are not yet installed or fixed on the building which shows there is already construction error emanating from poor mixture of sand and cement or not adhering to specifications of other building materials like iron rod. However, some Engineers uses substandard materials outside specification in order to make more profit. For instance, using 10mm iron rod instead of 12mm or 12mm instead of 16mm.

The causes of building collapse in Nigeria is not far-fetched which includes; Bad Design – Lack of proper structural calculations of materials to be used and load bearing capacity mostly high rise buildings. Exceeding the designed load capacity of a building through extension, alteration and addition. In Nigeria, most of the approved building plans is totally different from what was constructed on site due to adjustments. The government filed Officials in charge of the supervision will not stop the work rather collect gratification and allow the work to continue. Poor quality materials is also another cause of building collapse. Some contractors trying to maximized profit resulted to the use of substandard materials and poor quality materials. Structural defects as a resut of faulty foundation when build on unstable ground. In addition, poor maintenance and repairs on the part of property owners will allow problems to escalate, and make building more vulnerable to collapse. Lack of enforcement of building codes – weak enforcement of building codes and regulation allows substandard practices to persist thereby increasing the risk of building collapsed. Other causes includes; untrained artisans, High cost of building materials, inadequate supervision by the Officers of the Department of Town Planning, poor block molding, none compliance to specifications, no punishment to Site Engineers that supervised collapsed building etc. It is heartbreaking that many people have lost their lives as a result of building collapse and nobody has been punished for the error committed during construction.

However, to eradicate or reduce building collapse the government need to establish Artisans Training Centers (ATC) all over the country wherein certificates will be issued to successful trainees like the way it is done in other countries; like the Federal government established Correctional Centers for drug addicts and mental disorder persons. Even common Caregiver undergo training first before any person can be engaged in UK and other countries but, in Nigeria there is nothing like that rather we look for who is idle and engage such person as house help. The government should also ensure that the Site Engineer who supervised or supervising collapsed building under construction should be made to serve some punishment by making such person to face the wrath of the law. Also, during training of Artisan, they should be taught the correct mixture as it is done proportionately in building construction even though they are being supervised by Site Engineer. The government should ensure strict enforcement of building codes ensuring that all construction projects adhere to it; established regulations and standards and engagement of qualified professionals and contractors that have the expertise. Implementing rigorous quality control measures throughout the construction process from material selection to workmanship will help to reduce building collapse. The general public should be educated about the dangers of using substandard materials for construction and the importance of adhering to building codes. Finally, stamping out corruption from construction industry to ensure that projects are carry out responsibly and ethically. With some of these solutions proffered if implemented, building collapse will be a thing of the past in the nearest future.