By Dada Ahmed.
Discerning minds in Nigeria and beyond the shores of the country,following incessant collapse of buildings in Nigeria are in alliance with the submissions of experts in estate management that, building failures and consequent collapse in Nigeria, especially in ,Lagos State, has not only reached alarming proportion but hit lamentable stage.
About three days ago, residents of Lagos were confronted with a gory site depicting the collapse of a 21-storey building in Ikoyi, claimed many lives, others with multiple injuries, leaving relatives of victims and concerned Nigeria sorrowing.
Media reports indicate the.nation has not seen the end of the tragic event, as more bodies were being discovered from.the site with the last of casualities put at 20 as at Wednesday, November 3.
Nigerians read and watched in the print and electronic media with utter disgust as some security personnel and other establishments combed the ruins of the collapsed building, looking for human beings, dead or alive.
As the authorities of Lagos state government continue thr search for more lives from the debries of hitherto imposing, now fallen building,even during the publication of this analysis, P N Opara, an expert on building, traces the recurring decimal of building collapse in Nigeria to; bad design.faulty construction among other faulty lines.
Opara in his thesis, titled”Building Failures And Collapses: A Case Study Of Portharcourt, Nigeria”, attributes the problem to unexpected failure mode, natural disasters, soil liquidation and demolition through explosives among other factors
In the same vein, contributors to Journal of Technology and Education in Nigeria Vol. 12 (1) 2007 are of the convergent view that building collapse in Nigeria” is a disaster comparable to flood disaster, earthquake and aeroplane clash, considering the loss of life and destruction of property.”
The contributors, in their assertion of the frightening developmnt in building subsector of the nation’s economy, finger “poor workmanship, use of cheap and inferior materials, wrong interpretation of building design, inadequate supervision, non adherence to due process in building construction as possible major causes of building collapse in Nigeria.
Others attribute the problem ;lack of maintenance culture, greedy attitude of contractors professional in competence, the activity of the quacks, the use of plans approved for one storey building for multi, storey building and the nature of the soil.
Writing on the same subject matter he titles” Building Collapse: Some Precautions You Must Take”, Tanvi Bodhe, another expert in estate management, who is also alarmed by the staggering statistics of building collapse beyond Nigeria, called on builders to be equipped with “greater awareness on the need forever lasting structure while choosing a site for construction of a home to live.”
Bodhe argues that while it may not be possible to safeguard one’s home from the ill effects of a calamity, it is possible to control the extent of damage by adhering, strictly,to precautionary measures to reduce the likelihood becoming victim of a building collapse.
Starting from the foundation of a house, he stressed the need for a solid beginning to ensure a building with strong footing.
Bodhe reminds potential house owners and civil engineers that, “It all begins with the kind of foundation you build for your home. In case the property is located around a swampy ground, a stronger foundation is required as compared to solid grounds. But having said that, one cannot overlook the fact that even solid grounds require robust foundations.
He further advises on the imperative of effective pre-planning to be carried out by the government and builders and general and ensuring awareness of the implementation of using substandard materials in building houses, to save thousands of lives.
Stressing his point beyond Nigeria, the writer says, ‘Thus, it will be a wise step to learn from other earthquake-prone countries such as Japan that is several steps ahead from the rest of the world in building earthquake-proof structures. Among the several methods, the most common is installing beams that transfer the sway, dissipation units, and incorporation of flexible material.’
Contributors to Nairametrics, social media platform,recall that bletween 2011 and 2019, over 84 buildings collapsed across Nigeria, adding that out of the figure, only 21 occurred outside Lagos.
” This means more attention needs to be paid to the Centre of Excellence,” the urge.
They say they are not unmindful of the fact that Lagos State government has demolished scores of distressed buildings but note that the hazard has not been completely eliminated.
They call on the state government to redouble effort to reduce the problem to the barest minimum and save Nigeria from the horror of building collapse and its devastating health as well as psychological consequences.
Keen watchers of the unfolding scenario expressed belief and trust that, Lagos State Government will bring the perpetrators of the henious crime to book, in accordance with the promise made by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the issue, to serve as deterrent to others in their shoe.
Ahmed is a blogger and media consultant.
