Building Collapse: When Regulatory Agencies, Stakeholders Compromise

Despite assurances by successive governments to halt the spate of building collapse, the menace still rears its ugly head, depositing sorrow and tears in families. LADESOPE LADELOKUN writes on the need to check the activities of chalartans and corruption in the built environment

l I constantly get complaints that developers pester professionals to compromise standards to save cost’- Ex-NIOB President l How I rejected iron rod importer’s proposal to buy substandard material – Developer lI offered N30m to buy a building three months ago, it collapsed last month’

Starting a conversation about a person lost to an avoidable building collapse with their parents could sometimes be tasking. Memories flood back. Old wounds are opened. It is exactly the story of Pastor Idowu Ilesanmi, who lost his 35-year-old son to the infamous Ikoyi building collapse in 2021.
For Ilesanmi, talking about that incident would only bring back beads of tears to his face; something he said would completely destroy his mood for days. But, life has not remained the same for his daughter-in-law, Omoshalewa.
The mother of four said life had been hell for her. Omoshalewa, 36, disclosed that her late husband had asked her to be a full time housewife when he was alive because he was not a lazy man, noting that she only secured a job as a cleaner some months after his death, where she earned N15,000 monthly to take care of her four children, including a two-year-old baby.
Although she recently secured a better job in a Chinese company, where she earns N30,000 monthly, the widow said it was still a drop in the ocean when juxtaposed with her financial responsibilities, especially the burden of paying school fees, wondering if she would ever repay all her debts in her lifetime.
“My husband was not a lazy man. He loved his family. He told me I didn’t need to work, so that I could properly take care of the children at home. Now, it has become my responsibility to take care of my four children after that building collapse killed my husband. It’s just the grace of God that is sustaining us. The four children are attending a private school. My last child was about two when my husband died. I’ve incurred debts that I don’t think I can pay in my lifetime,” she told Sunday Telegraph.

A recurring decimal
While Omoshalewa is not the first and last person to lose a loved one to building collapse, her story mirrors the pains families of victims experience when buildings collapse.
In recent times, reports indicate a surge in cases of building collapse.
For instance, in the wee hours of Thursday, October 31, 2024, 11 people died following the collapse of a multi-storey building on Temidire Street, Jegede, Ona Ara Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Buried under the rubble of the building that once served as a healing home, which was owned by one Baba Olapade, an Octogenarian, were seven patients, three of Baba Olapade’s grandchildren and his first wife, Sunday Telegraph gathered.
Speaking with Sunday Telegraph, one of Baba Olapade’s sons, Taoreed, said: “I personally lost one child. My brother lost two children. And we lost the first wife of our father. One of my children is at the Adeoyo Hospital presently. We lost seven of the patients that we were taking care of. This place is a traditional healing hospital, where we take care of sick people. The house collapsed on me also. People tried and rescued me out of the rubble as you can see fresh bruises on my back. You can see my right side below my ribs that is swollen. One of my children is at the Adeoyo Hospital now. The doctors said I should bring money but I don’t know what to do because I don’t have.”
Only last week, a three-storey building under construction collapsed in the Abacha Road area of the new Government Reservation Area in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The incident happened barely five days after another three-storey building under construction collapsed in Ogbogoro Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
Also, last month, a two-storey building collapsed on Amusu Street, in the Orile Iganmu area of Lagos State.
In July, 22 pupils were reported dead when a school building collapsed in Jos, Plateau State. According to the state Commissioner of Information, Musa Ashoms, 154 persons suffered different degrees of injuries.

I offered N30m to buy building three months ago, it collapsed last month – Developer
Sharing her recent experience about building collapse, a realtor and developer, Prof Victoria Samuel, told Sunday Telegraph how a building she offered to pay the US-based owner N30 million collapsed in the Ikorodu area of Lagos last month. According to her, the owner had insisted on N60 million.
“I got a property three months ago. When I got the property, I told the owner it was about collapsing. I told him the building had a structural defect. He said I was only saying so because I didn’t have money, and he asked me to go away. I said he should sell to me at N30 million ‘ instead of the N60 million he insisted on; that I would spend the remaining N30 million to reconstruct the building . He disagreed. Someone else came, the house was bought, and after one month, everything collapsed. The man called me and said,’ Madam, I’m based in America. It’s what they told me I followed. I didn’t know you were the one telling me the truth. Everything you said was true. The property has gone down.’ I just told him it was late already.

55% of collapsed buildings in Nigeria since 1974 happened in Lagos – Report
Between 1974 and November 5, 2024, Nigeria recorded 635 cases of building collapse, a recent report by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild revealed.
According to the guild, Lagos State recorded the highest cases with 55.28 per cent, which represents over 351 building collapse cases in the last 50 years. Abuja and Anambra are in the second and third places respectively with 4.25 per cent and 4.09 per cent.
The report partly stated: “Lagos State accounts for 55.28 per cent of recorded building collapse incidents in Nigeria. Abuja follows in second place with 4.25 per cent, Anambra ranks third with 4.09 per cent, Oyo is fourth, and Kano holds fifth place with 3.46 per cent. Taraba, Bayelsa, Gombe, and Yobe states each recorded their first building collapse incident in 2022. In Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Gombe, Katsina, and Kebbi states, there has been only one recorded building collapse.
“In the years 1971, 1975, and 1981, there were no recorded building collapses. Despite the COVID lockdown, 2020 saw 45 building collapses nationwide, with Lagos accounting for 18 or 40 per cent. The year 2022 recorded the highest number of collapses, totaling 62 nationwide, with Lagos responsible for 20 (32 per cent) of them. In 2023, there were 52 recorded collapses across Nigeria, with Lagos contributing 17, 33 per cent.
“As of 2024, 43 building collapses have been recorded nationwide: Lagos has seen 12, Anambra and Abuja 5 each, Kano 4, Jigawa and Plateau 3 each, Osun, Rivers, and Delta 2 each, and Niger, Abia, Edo, Oyo, and Ebonyi 1 each. The first recorded building collapse occurred in October 1974 in Oyo State, when a multi-storey building collapsed due to excessive loading, resulting in 27 fatalities.
The tallest building collapse took place in Lagos on 1st November 2021, tragically killing 52 people.”

A case worsened by charlatans
In an interview with Sunday Telegraph, former president of Nigerian Institute of Building, Kunle Awobodu, expressed worry over what he described as the rising spate of building collapse despite efforts to curb it.
“Honestly speaking, we could do more and we have done a lot in the past, looking at the causes of collapsed buildings…with the work done in the past, one would believe that the tempo is supposed to decelerate. However, it is increasing. Our procurement system for building construction might be somehow faulty, and that’s our major concern. Past mistakes in building construction are there. Buildings constructed some years back that didn’t meet standard procedure, if such buildings collapse, it is as a result of sharp practices or lack of professionalism as at then. The one that could be disturbing to the marrows are the ones collapsing during construction process. It shows that the head of such building construction has got it wrong.
“And what we have discovered is that those who are not really trained, those who are not experts, those who are not competent in building construction or building production process are the ones handling such projects, and having embarked on advocacy over these years , it bothers us why such malpractices could not be curbed. ”

Case for urban renewal
With Lagos State recording 55 per cent of cases of building collapse in Nigeria since 1974, according to the Building Collapse Prevention Guild, Adu Ademuyiwa, Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), in an interview with Sunday Telegraph, claimed ignorance of the report. According to him, Lagos State has zero tolerance for distressed buildings, noting that the demolition of such buildings across the state gives credence to his claim.
He further noted that LABSCA was working closely with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development for successful implementation of the state’s urban renewal plans.
Speaking on how she pioneered urban renewal campaigns years ago , realtor and developer, Victoria Samuel, noted: “The current collapse is telling you the problem didn’t start today. It started a while ago. All the properties collapsing now are 20,25, 30 years old, which tells you the problem started 20, 25 years ago. I pioneered a move in 2004, and that move was killed but it is working in the Western world. The idea is that you call people in an environment, tell them the status of their property. Let them know their property is old. But people hold on to their property, claiming it belongs to their family. At the end of the day, they have shanties and rubbish all over the place. When we talk about development, if we are going to urbanise an environment, it’s either you have the money to do something new or you’re going to partner with developers or the government to come up with a modern structure because every property has an age, a lifespan. So, if your property has lived beyond its lifespan, you are endangering lives if you don’t get people to partner with you to reconstruct it. As a matter of fact, people should not rent property without knowing how old they are.”

I get complaints that developers pester professionals to compromise standards to save cost- Ex-NIOB President
While Awobodu reasoned that recurring cases of building collapse reveal regulatory failure, he argued that reports indicated developers jettison professional advice to save cost at the expense of the lives of innocent Nigerians.
“The regulatory authorities are culpable. By law, the prevention of building collapse is under their purview. So, when it happens, naturally, they are always the first culprit. But if you look further and look at their own limitations, do they have the wherewithal to prevent shoddy construction of buildings? What we need to look at first is the attitude of certain developers, whom we have encouraged over the years to engage professionals in their business of investing in construction projects.
“But somehow, the report we get constantly, especially from our builders and engineers, is that their professional recommendations, or inputs are never adhered to. So, we are worried. Last week, I still received complaints based on their personal experiences from various sites but he who pays the piper dictates the tune. When you’re telling them this is the right way to go, or we need to spend more funds, they are reluctant. Earlier today, I intervened in such a situation, a kind of disagreement between a professional builder and a developer. It’s on this issue of waiving aside necessary professional steps to be taken. Sometimes, mostly because of conservation of funds, I know it’s natural as businessmen, they would have to look at how to save costs to the detriment of anticipated positive outcomes.”
Aligning his thoughts with Awobodu’s, an estate surveyor and developer, Anthony Nosa FearGod, told Sunday Telegraph: “There are various variables that make a building collapse. Some developers want to cut costs, so they use substandard materials. Another factor is lack of management. If a project manager is not on ground and they give instructions on measurements, the measurements could be changed without proper monitoring, and in that regard, a problem arises. There is a body for all these things. The Nigerian Real Estate Developers Association, is for instance, working with the Lagos State government to make sure that every building has a building plan and permit. Some buildings in the past never had building plans and permits. They just built them, and no agency was involved to checkmate what they did, and because they know people in high places, they think they can do and undo.”

How I rejected iron rod importer’s proposal to buy substandard materials – Developer
Speaking on why it is important to get an approval from the government before commencing construction, a realtor and developer , Prof Victoria Samuel, said: “The government needs to sit up. Those approving the buildings have a lot of questions to answer. There is something we call Environmental Impact Analysis. When you want to build a property, the first thing you do is EIA. Can this environment carry what people want to build? How many Nigerians do it? When I do it, they call me stupid .I just have to know if that environment can carry what I want to do. At the end of the day, you discover that, most times, the environment can carry it but how many people are ready to ‘waste’ as they use the word? How many people are ready to spend N160,000, N180,000 and get a negative result? So, people go ahead. That’s problem number one. Now, the government approving, do they even know the kind of environment they are approving because if the government is aware of what the environment is all about, they will not approve a three-storey building for a place that can only take a bungalow?”
Explaining why building collapse starts with the quality of the materials used, she added: “Then, when we come to the building materials, the quality of things we have in the market is not it any longer. Look at the iron rod ,for instance. It is so weak. They come in gauges, 18mm, 24mm and the type of structure we want to use it for determines the gauge. The gauge for foundation is different from that of decking. If you use the wrong iron rod to do your foundation, the foundation is already compromised. Then, you go ahead to use another weak iron rod for decking, what do you think the future of the property will be. ”
She further added: “I know an importer who brought a proposal to me on iron rod and said,’ even though it is 18mm, they can get it compromised. I’m using his words now, ” it won’t be very weak, but it won’t be the real thing; it will serve the purpose.’ I said ‘ Aha, it won’t be the real thing and it will still serve the purpose. I said , ‘ sir, all because you want to make money? If any of your children rents the apartment…’ He said it would last for a while. I told him I wasn’t a party to this kind of thing.”
“Somebody came to work for me two days ago. He thought he was helping me. He said, ‘ you know what we will do madam? We will put little cement and more sand’. I said so that everything can be destroyed when you go. He said he was trying to help me. I said he shouldn’t, that’s pennywise, pound foolish. Now, when they begin to compromise the standard ratio of materials…every material we use in building has a standard formula to be followed. When you compromise on the iron rod, you compromise on the cement ratio, then what’s left? You have a carcass that will fall off after a while. Naturally, when you use the average standard ratio, an average house has a lifespan but when you reduce the quality, the lifespan expectancy reduces. By then, the house that should last 50 years may not last more than 10 years.”

What we are doing to curb menace –FG
For the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Mohammed Bala, the spate of building collapse in the country has assumed an alarming dimension. He stated that Nigeria records building collapse every day but not all cases are reported.
He said: “Housing, building collapse is not only about the house but about the life of the people. If you care about the lives of the people, you must consider the issue of collapse. I have never seen instances where buildings collapse and you don’t lose property and lives or people sustain injuries. The problem of building collapse is a very serious issue. Mr President has seriously challenged the issue of building collapse; the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, even set up a committee on the issue of building code.”
Sharing his thoughts on the depth of the crisis and why it persists, Bala added: “In 2023, 2024, we had the one in Jos, Lagos, Abuja. There are a lot of buildings that collapsed. The one reported by the media is the one we know but it’s happening everyday resulting from natural causes, inability of adhering to building codes, use of substandard products. The Federal Government is trying to resolve it to ensure this thing is minimised.”
On the step the government is taking to buck the trend, he said the government was ready to wield the big stick.
“The honourable Minister has been emphasising on sanctions, in every meeting. Recently, the tribunal for this housing was inaugurated and he expressed happiness that the tribunal was instituted and he said there should not be undue consideration to anyone who violates any code, law should be sanctioned,” he said.
According to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria( SON)Director – General, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, despite many sensitization and awareness campaigns carried out by SON over the years, knowledge gap exists not only among construction workers but also among suppliers and building professionals, noting that training and education are essential to bring everyone up to par with international best practices.
“In the same way, our growing population requires a rapid increase in affordable housing, which brings with it the challenge of meeting demand without compromising on quality. Innovative materials, construction techniques and designs must be developed and standardized to meet this demand while maintaining quality and safety”, he added.