The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) has identified the lack of systemic enforcement and standard regulations as the root cause of the country’s frequent building collapses.
According to the group, this has led to the use of unqualified staff, inferior materials, disdain for proper construction standards, non-compliance with planning approvals, and failure to follow professional best practices.
In the first half of the year, there have been over a dozen documented incidents, three of which have happened in the last week alone. These building collapses were reported: on July 14, 2024, a one-story structure collapsed in Osogbo, Osun State; on July 13, 2024, a two-story residential apartment collapsed in Kubwa, Abuja; and on July 12, 2024, Saints Academy collapsed in Busa Buji, Jos, Plateau State.
Others include the three-story building at Plot 32, Udensi Housing Estate, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, which collapsed on June 18, 2024; the five-story Dennis Memorial Grammar School building in Onitsha, Anambra State, which collapsed on June 12, 2024; and the three-story building collapse in Obingwa, Ukwa West, Abia State, which occurred on June 8, 2024. The Unity House Building in Garki, Abuja, was another.
Dr. Samson Opaluwah, the chairman of CORBON, expressed his organisation’s displeasure over the recent spate of activities in the construction industry that continue to endanger investment security, injure citizens in a variety of ways, and claim several innocent lives.
Opaluwah, who criticised the conduct in a press circular dated Wednesday, July 17, 2024, stated that the frequent incidents of building collapses serve as a sobering reminder of the urgent need for tighter enforcement and the enactment of relevant legislation to regulate the construction sector.
He went on to explain that the Council’s position on the state of affairs is based on its research, study of numerous reports, and review of available records of cases of building collapse across the country from 1970 to date. It was observed that this problem has continued to encourage quackery among active participants in the building construction process, as well as the proliferation of substandard building materials in the sector.
“The Council is deeply saddened by the series of building- collapses that have occurred in Nigeria, especially considering the fact that most of them are from preventable, man-made errors,” he said.
To avoid the future recurrence of these tragedies, he advocated for non-destructive testing to be performed on buildings where there is no proof that standards were followed during construction or where unauthorised alterations have been made.
CORBON, the builder hinted, is looking forward to working closely with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to develop imaginative ways of dealing with substandard building materials in the market. It is also committed to working with governments at all levels, regulatory agencies, professional bodies, and the public to prevent future building collapses.
This, he elaborated, validates their belief that by taking proactive measures and ensuring adherence to the national and state building regulations, such tragedies can be avoided.
“CORBON calls for immediate action and the enforcement of past recommendations on building collapses,” Opaluwah said, “to ensure the safety of Nigerians and the diligent prosecution of people who have been found culpable by various investigative bodies to serve as deterrents to potential offenders and maintain the integrity of our built environment.”
