A study of control measures of building collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Building collapse is a regular occurrence in Lagos State in Nigeria. In 2016, more than six (6) cases of fatal building collapses were recorded in Lagos State alone. This high incidence may be a reflection of high population of Lagos State and not necessarily due to its weaker building process and/or poor physical development control. Building collapse is a situation where building which has been completed but not occupied, completed and occupied and under construction, tears apart without the influence of any party or agent. Building collapse in Lagos State is a waste of financial resources; in some cases, wastes of human life; waste of time invested in construction and clearing of debris on site after collapse; and waste of building materials. In the cases experienced over the years, it was found out that majority of building collapses were due to substandard building materials, bad design, wrong foundation, wrong site, bad usage of the structure, poor technology and inexperienced contractor. In most cases, the buildings do not have approved building plans from either the local government or state ministry of Land and Physical Planning. This paper will adopt the mixed method of researches to espouse the control measures put in place in Lagos State, Nigeria, to avert the high incidence of building collapse. Questionnaires and direct interviews were engaged for mining of primary data as well as searching newspapers, journals and newsletter of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Lagos State.

Full text

A study of control measures of building collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria
Olufemi Adedamola Oyedele, ND Building Technology, BSc. Estate Management, MSc.
Housing Development and Management, MSc. International Project Management, MPhil.
Construction Management, ANIVS, RSV.
Abstract
Building collapse is a regular occurrence in Lagos State in Nigeria. In 2016, more than six (6)
cases of fatal building collapses were recorded in Lagos State alone. This high incidence may
be a reflection of high population of Lagos State and not necessarily due to its weaker
building process and/or poor physical development control. Building collapse is a situation
where building which has been completed but not occupied, completed and occupied and
under construction, tears apart without the influence of any party or agent. Building collapse
in Lagos State is a waste of financial resources; in some cases, wastes of human life; waste of
time invested in construction and clearing of debris on site after collapse; and waste of
building materials. In the cases experienced over the years, it was found out that majority of
building collapses were due to substandard building materials, bad design, wrong foundation,
wrong site, bad usage of the structure, poor technology and inexperienced contractor. In most
cases, the buildings do not have approved building plans from either the local government or
state ministry of Land and Physical Planning. This paper will adopt the mixed method of
researches to espouse the control measures put in place in Lagos State, Nigeria, to avert the
high incidence of building collapse. Questionnaires and direct interviews were engaged for
mining of primary data as well as searching newspapers, journals and newsletter of
ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Lagos State.
Key words: Building Control, Building Process, Building Regulations, Causes of Building
Collapse, Function of Physical Planning Department.
Introduction
Building collapse (BC) in Nigeria is becoming a regular occurrence, each recording great casualties in
the number of lives and materials lost. Building collapse is a situation where building which has been
completed and occupied, completed but not occupied or under construction, collapses on its own due
to action or inaction of man or due to natural events like earthquake, storm, flooding, tsunami or
wildfire. It is different from building demolition. There are various causes of building collapse and
each case requires expert judgment to decide the cause of its collapse. Rate of building collapse is a
reflection of the level of organization, the performance of the building control activities and degree of
sophistication of the construction professionals in a country.
Different countries have different building control measures. Most countries control building
construction through regulations and codes. The UK’s Building regulations are statutory instruments
that seek to ensure that the policies set out in the relevant legislation are carried out. Building
regulations approval is required for most building work in the UK. Building regulations that apply
across England and Wales are set out in the Building Act 1984, while those that apply across Scotland
are set out in the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. All Acts specify how construction is to be carried out
and the standard of construction materials. It also stipulates how approval for woks will be given.
Oyedele (2016) explored the use of case study by examining the causes of six (6) collapsed buildings
(CB) across Nigeria. Samples of materials from the sites of the collapsed buildings were taken for
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testing and analysis, while critical observations were made at the sites to note the conditions of the
ground (building base). The study found out that majority of the building collapses in Nigeria
were due to corruption (26.87%), lack of control and standard organisation of Nigeria
construction industry (16.41%), poor cash flow (11.94%), lack of construction industry
standard (10.45%), poor supervision of site workers (8.96%), supervision of site workers by
unqualified contractors (7.45%) and attitudes of contractors in Nigeria to construction
projects (4.48%).
The National Building Code 2006 is not effective due to lack of enforcement and the Physical
Development Departments of states and Federal Capital Territory are just mere agents of
corruption allowing all types of construction without building approvals. There is no state in
Nigeria, out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that building collapse has
not occurred in the past ten (10) years. In some years, building collapse in Nigeria occurred in
more than ten (10) places. If not controlled, building collapse can be disastrous. This situation
necessitated the evolvement of National Building Code in 2006. This paper studied the building
collapse control measures put in place by the Lagos State government to avert the incessant building
collapse in Nigeria.
Literature Review on Control Measure of Building Collapse
Ihua-Madueyi (2017) reported that “Professional builders in the country have called on the
government to speed up the passage of the National Building Code in order to check some of
the discrepancies in the industry”. The National Building Code, is a set of minimum
standards on building pre-design, design, construction and post-construction stages with a
view to ensuring quality, safety and proficiency in the building industry. Non-provision of
this code and its non-adherence leads to building collapse. The passage of National Building
Code bill which has been submitted to the National Assembly since 2006, would help in the
building production management process, improve building training, safety, quality and value
management for the benefit of the country.
Eleven foreign workers were killed in a landslide at a construction site in northwest Malaysia.
The landslide occurred at a site where 49-storey condominium towers are being built (Zee
News, 2017). The collapsed building was as a result of landslide due to the location of the
construction. These are common occurrences in the construction industry of third world
nations. Dunia (2017) stated that “A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the Managing
Director of Lekki Gardens Estate Ltd., Richard Nyong, has told a Lagos High Court in
Igbosere that the five-storey building that collapsed on March 8, 2016, and left 30 people
dead, has no building approval.”
In Kenya, in 2015, eight buildings collapsed at the height of the `rainy season recording more
than 15 deaths. In a six story building collapse in Nairobi in 2016, more than 50 people were
dead. In Nigeria, in 2015, more than 32 people were killed in a collapsed building in Lekki,
Lagos State. There were 33 building collapses in Lagos and 22 in Abuja in 2012; 17 buildings
collapsed in Lagos and 20 in Abuja in 2013 and 13 building collapses in Lagos and 2 in
Abuja in 2014. Building collapse is now as constant as northern star in Nigeria due to lack of
physical development and building regulations enforcement. In the first quarter of 2016
alone, the toll in Lagos was 5 collapses. One important issue which is noteworthy about
building collapse in Nigeria is that collapses usually occur in buildings with two floors up to
five floors.
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Collapses do not usually occur in bungalows and buildings with more than five floors except
where buildings collapse was due to erosion. This is because bungalows are non-load bearing
structures requiring simple strip foundation and in some cases like made-up ground, raft or
pad foundation. If the floors are more than three in a made-up ground, pile foundation will
need to be introduced. Buildings with more than five floors are complex structures requiring
professionals with many years of construction experience. They involve a lot of money to
construct and this may be the reason for their thorough observations of building regulations.
“Over the years, Lagosians have witnessed consistent building collapse leading to fatalities,
litigations, regulatory actions, pains, injuries, delayed schedules, bad reputations and loss of
properties, etc” (Fowode, 2016). Building collapses always bring with them a lot of costs in
the form of death, loss of money, loss of time, loss of equipment and wasted building
materials. It also affects the reputation of the construction industry of the area where it
occurs. The six-storey building which collapsed at Synagogue Church of All Nations
(SCOAN) in Lagos State recorded 116 lost lives in November 2015.
The one at Lekki Gardens in April 2016 resulted in over 30 casualties. According to
Nwannekanma (2016), “tragedy struck yesterday morning when a five-story building
collapsed in the Lekki area of Lagos. At least 18 persons died while 12 others were rescued
alive from the rubble”. Clients or building construction promoters have three requirements of
their buildings. These are: (i) that they are constructed within cost (budget), (ii) that they are
constructed within time (schedule) and (iii) that they are constructed to acceptable quality
(standard). Corruption and greed are the major debacles of these requirements.
Collapsed buildings are those that the qualities have been compromised either due to the
materials used, faulty design in place or the ground on which the buildings were erected,
were badly made-up. Some projects in Nigeria are planned to fail because the project owners
or sponsors refused to employ competent project managers, engineers and builders. It is a
known fact that traditionally, projects start with the client who engages, in most cases, his
architect to design the project. He then contracts a project manager to oversee the design and
construction. For any project that is more than one floor, structural engineer must be engaged
to design and supervise the structures.
According to Fowode (2016), “building projects start well before ground is broken”. Failure
to recruit the appropriate team for a project is invitation of failure in project delivery.
Geological survey needs to be carried out in order to determine the appropriate type and
depth of foundation which will carry the superstructure. In most cases, expert judgment is
used to determine the type of foundation for buildings, especially in bungalows and buildings
up to three floors which are common in Nigeria. Transfer of idea from one site to another
may not work because different sites have different geology (sub-soil).
According to Olufowobi (2017), “The Lagos State Government on Thursday started
enlightenment campaign aimed at ending building collapse in the state. Officials of the
Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, and the Enlightenment and
Campaign unit of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, kicked off the campaign in
the Yaba and Ebute-Meta areas of Lagos, distributing fliers and addressing the public
on the need to obtain building permits. They also enlightened people to engage the
services of qualified engineers.” This sensitization is aimed to reduce the occurrence
of building collapse in Lagos State.
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Unplanned falling of building is usually referred to as building collapse, while planned falling
of building is referred to as demolition. Buildings are erected to stand and to be functional for
its intended use throughout its lifespan. The ubiquitous building collapse in Nigeria is a cause
for concern. According to Oloyede, Omoogun and Akinjare (2010), “in recent times, the
incidence of building collapse in the country’s major cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt
have been alarming”. Building collapse can be partial like the one that occurred at NIDB
Building on Broad Street, Lagos State in 2008, or total like the Lekki Garden building
collapse.
According to Ige (2016), the building collapse in Abeokuta on Friday, May 13, 2016, could
have been prevented if due process has been followed by the construction teams. Building
construction process involves professionalism in the planning, design, and execution of the
project. Engineering consultants must be involved in the design and supervision of
construction works. The design structural engineer must visit the site regularly and a sub-soil
investigation of the site carried out by a geo-technical professional, followed by a foundation
design by an engineer based on the engineer’s knowledge of the terrain and the results of
geotechnical survey. A general arrangement of the structural element and production of
design calculations, drawings and job scheduling are carried out before signing off for
construction.
Construction is not a child’s play. It involves the collaboration of different professionals who
have been taught the art and science of the process. The land surveyors determine the shape,
geographical orientation and the size of the site. The architects’ duties involve the design of
the structure. Structural engineers are in charge of structural design, stating the type, size and
number of reinforcement bars to be used in slab, lintels and columns and the spacing of
stirrups after considering the length of lintel, columns and unsupported span of slab. The
town planners must make sure that the building codes stating set-backs, height of buildings,
building lines, room sizes, fire exit etc, are incorporated in the building.
It is the duty of the quantity surveyors to estimate the probable amount that will complete the
house and to issue payment certificates at milestones. Quantity surveyors bill of quantities
(BOQ) are also good bases for job planning and scheduling. The estate surveyors take control
of the building for management after it has been completed. These professionals should
ensure that buildings are professionally built and avoid the incessant collapses in Nigeria. In
most cases, quacks do take charge of building process and deceive house owners who do not
observe due diligence like visiting construction professional bodies (Nigerian Institute of
Architects, Nigerian Institute of Building, Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers etc) in
choosing their consultants and contractors.
“Before casting concrete, the engineer inspects each element to be cast, issues a written
instruction that checked the reinforcement and found same to be in agreement with the
structural drawings, and gives the contractor the authority to cast the concrete element in
question. This time-tested method is not always followed on many projects, because of our
Nigerianess” (Ige, 2016). There is no control on building process in Nigeria. To pass cube
test, concrete are re-mixed by most contractors who add more cement to the mixture and dip
the cube inside water for some time for adequate curing before taken to the concrete
laboratory for analysis.
According to Nucera and Pucinotti (2009),”the assessment of in-situ compression strength of
a reinforced concrete structure, plays a key role in the evaluation of its safety”. Completed
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buildings are sometimes subjected to integrity test to determine their strength. Recent
innovations provide clear rules for assessing the safety and conduct of static strengthening on
existing buildings. Malek and Kaouther (2014) stated that “it is often necessary to test
concrete structures after the concrete has hardened to determine whether the structure is
suitable for its designed use”. Concrete has also been tested where there is disagreement on
cost between client and contractors.
How to get Building Approval in Lagos State
According to Kolawole (2015), “A building plan is a graphical representation of what a
building will look like after construction, used by builders and contractors to construct
buildings of all kinds. Building plans are also useful when it comes to estimating how much a
project will cost, and preparing project budgets. In most countries, including Nigeria, it is
customary to obtain a permit or approval from appropriate authorities, for example, Ministry
of Physical Planning, State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja. A building plan approval is necessary
before construction can commence.
This is to ensure that a building complies with building laws and codes and to prevent people
from just constructing as they deem fit. The first thing to do when you want to commence
construction in Lagos is to obtain a development permit from the Lagos State Physical
Planning and Urban Development Authority (LASPPDA), a parastatal under the Ministry of
Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Approval Process
The first step is to submit architectural design for inspection to confirm if design is in
conformity with the approval standards and order for the area which the land is located. If
your documents are found satisfactory, assessment will be given. The assessment is based on
the volume of your building multiplied by the rate applicable to your land location. Usually,
bank drafts are made payable to the Lagos State Government, the relevant local planning
authority of the land location and Lagos State Physical Planning Development Authority. You
might also need to pay some additional fees to Lagos State Government depending on your
proposal.
Before submission of your application, the site will be inspected. This is the first of various
inspections that your site will be subjected to. The reason is to know if the site in question is
the same as the one being proposed for development and also, that you have not commenced
construction before building plan approval. The site will also be checked with the immediate
environment to see if proposal is in conformity with the existing land use, and if the size of
the plot is as presented in the survey plan and design proposal. If the inspection report is
satisfactory, the application will then be registered, provided all documents have been
submitted.
Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA)
LASBCA is located on Works Yard Road, via Oba Akinjobi Way, Old Secretariat, GRA,
Ikeja, Lagos. Its functions are:
Building control in all its ramifications.
Approval to commence construction after obtaining development permit.
Inspection and certification of various stages of building construction.
Verification of your General Contractor’ All Risk and Building Insurance Policy.
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Issuance of certificate of completion of building construction and fitness for
habitation.
Identification and removal of distressed and non-conforming buildings.
Public Health control in Buildings.
Identification and removal of distressed buildings.
Departments/Units in Lagos State Building Control Agency
Post Construction Audit
Inspectorate & Quality Control
Enforcement
Building Admin. & Public Enlightenment
Human Resources & Administration
Research Statistic and Records
Account
Audit
Budget and Planning
Procurement
Information and Communication Technology
Legal
Public Relations
National Building Code 2006
In 1987, the Defunct National Council of Works and Housing directed that a National
Building Code be evolved for Nigeria. All the stakeholders in the Building Industry were
duly contacted for input. Thereafter, the defunct Federal Ministry of Works and Housing
organised a National Workshop at ASCON, Badagry - Lagos State in 1989. To further fine
tune the Draft National Building Code, another workshop was held at the Gateway Hotel,
Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State in 1990. The product of the Ijebu-Ode Code was approved by the then
National Council on Housing in 1991. Unfortunately, this document was not ratified by the
then Federal Executive Council for use.
The 1991 approved document was re-presented to the 2nd National Council on Housing and
Urban Development held in Port-Harcourt, November, 2005 and the Council directed that the
document be widely circulated to all stakeholders for input to facilitate the production of an
acceptable National Building Code. Consequently, the Draft document underwent some
restructuring from three (3) parts to four (4) parts as follows: (i) Part I changes from
Administration and Environment to Administration; (ii) Part II forms Classifications and
Requirements, subdivided into two major divisions: Sections 4 and 5 then Sections 6 - 1 2
respectively.
The second division charges the major stakeholders in the Building Industry to produce her
own requirements as per the working tools from Sections 4 and 5. (iii) Part III forms the
Enforcement part of the Codes. The entire Building Process is divided into four (4)
convenient stages and developed under two (2) subheadings: (a) Pre-Design Stage -
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Requirements and Enforcement; (b) Design Stage - Requirements and Enforcement; (c)
Construction Stage - Requirements and Enforcement; and (d) Post-Construction Stage -
Requirements and Enforcement.
This approach does not only make the enforcement functional but its adaptability to the
Nigerian situation makes it efficient (iv) Part IV is made up of a separate part namely,
Schedules, where all supportive documents, data, tables, information and all sorts of relevant
and approved application forms to Part I, II, and III can be found.
The need to evolve a National Building Code arose from the following existing conditions of
our cities and environment: (a) The absence of planning of our towns and cities; (b) Incessant
collapse of buildings, fire infernos, built environment abuse and other disasters; (c) Dearth of
referenced design standards for professionals; (d) Use of non-professionals and quacks; (e)
Use of untested products and materials; (f) Lack of maintenance culture.
In view of the above, the National Council on Housing and Urban Development deemed it
necessary and initiated the process of evolving a National Building Code to put a stop to the
NATIONAL BUILDING CODE ugly trends in the Building Industry.
Testing Concrete, Sand, Iron Bars, Water and other construction materials on site
Construction materials are tested before and during construction as a quality control measure
and after construction for integrity test. There are various methods which can be used to test
building materials on site. There are many types of construction materials used in Nigeria.
These different materials have different strengths and resilience, e.g., reinforcement bars,
cement, sand, gravel, particle board, plywood, pine, oriented strand board (OSB), and drywall
(gypsum board, SheetRock). The same cross-sectional area of each material must be used as
sample in order to make fair comparisons during tests.
Some of the methods which are commonly used for quality control of structure will be
discussed as follows:
Concrete: Concrete derives strength with increasing age up to 90 days (curing). The
compressive strength of typical concrete with 1:2:4 cement: sand: aggregate ratio and good
mix of water (0.5 water/cement ratio) is usually 30.5 GPa after 28 days and 32GPa after 90
and 120 days respectively (Malek & Kaouther, 2014). There are two methods of testing
concrete; the destructive and non-destructive methods. The destructive tests include cube or
cylindrical test (compression test), extraction of cores and the subsequent laboratory test
(strength and carbonation test), pull-out test, extraction of rebars, corrosion test, pacometer
test, loading test on floor slabs and radar surveys. The non-destructive tests include surface
hardness test (Schmidt rebound hammer test), ultrasonic test (Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity
System) and combined methods (SONREB method) (Malhotra and Carette, 1991).
In destructive method of test, carbonation depth may be used to test the uniformity of
concrete test. The depth is usually 10cm in a normal concrete. In lean concrete, it will be
more. What influence concrete strength are; the type and dosage of cement, the dimensions
and nature of the aggregates, the superficial conditions of the concrete and the humidity and
maturity. Concrete is very weak in tensile strength and have weak bending moment, but has
high compressive strength. Since iron is very good in tensile strength, it is usually introduced
in concrete to improve its bending moment.
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The parameters which influence the velocity of propagation of ultrasound waves in concrete
are: (i) the entity of the load (ii) the age of the concrete (iii) the form and the dimension of the
structure (iv) the run length (v) the presence of metallic reinforcements (vi) the water/cement
ratio (vii) the state of strength (viii) the temperature (ix) the humidity of the concrete
(Pucinotti, 2006).
Sand and aggregates: Sieve test is usually done on sand and aggregates to determine the
degree of fineness and coarseness of these materials.
Water: Drinkable water which is colourless and odourless with Ph7 must be used on site.
Iron bars: Bending strength of iron bars determines their strength. There are two types of
bars, plain and twisted. There are different thickness and the usage and spacing of bars and
stirrups depend on area of building and the span of space in which reinforcement concrete
will be used. Addition of adulterated materials may compromise the strength of bars. Density
test may be used to test iron rods.
Causes of Building Collapse
There are two major causes of building collapse, which are natural and artificial. The natural
causes can be due to earthquake, hurricane, tremor, storm, typhoon, flooding, erosion,
wildfire etc. The artificial or man-made causes can be due to action or inaction of man
leading to tripping (inappropriate slenderness ratio and uneven distribution of load in one part
of the structure), shearing due to weak structure (poor materials or bad workmanship),
building on weak sub-soil (lack of development and building control), wrong choice of
foundation leading to differential settlement of building (lack of professionals on site and lack
of development control), bad structural design (lack of professionals on site and lack of
control), addition to floor (lack of professionals on site and lack of control), inadequate
curing (use of non-potable water for mixing concrete, use of sub-standard sand or cement,
inadequate time allowed for curing), etc.
Buildings can also collapse when the building members fail to bond due to stress, strain or
shear. In Nigeria, building failure have been attributed to the causes such as design faults
(50%), faults on construction site (40%), and product failure (10%) (Oyewande, 1992;
Ayininuola & Olalusi, 2004; Ayuba, Olagunju & Akande, 2012). Lack of maintenance and
wrong usage of building leading to stress can lead to building collapse. Stress is pressure or
tension exerted on a material object. Wind can also cause building collapse due to strain. Strain is a
force tending to pull or stretch something to an extreme or damaging degree. Fatigue of structure can
lead to collapse. Professionals in the built environment have been trained to design and construct
structures that have enough strength to withstand extreme stress and strain. Improper
distribution of loads during and after construction of building like communication mast,
antennae, billboard and water reservoir can lead to shearing.
According to BBC News (2016), the five reasons why building collapse are either: the
foundations are too weak, or the building materials are not strong enough or workers make
mistakes or the load is heavier than expected or the strength is not tested.
Quality Control in Construction Works
Quality control is the part of quality management that ensures products and service comply
with requirements and expectations. It is a work method that facilitates the measurement of
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the quality characteristics of a unit, compares them with the established standards, and
analyses the differences between the results obtained and the expected results in order to
make decisions which will correct any differences.
In construction procurement, the contract will stipulate how the job is to be carried out which
will lead to expected standard. Technical specifications define the type of controls that must
be carried out to ensure the construction works are carried out correctly. They include not
only products materials, but also the process of execution and completion of the works.
Technical specification includes the buildings plans, structural plans, mechanical and
electrical drawings (services drawings) and the Bill of Quantities.
One way of controlling quality is based on the inspection or verification of finished products.
Most construction companies have their own Quality Control Department or, at least, Quality
Control Officer who is in charge of quality control. The aim is to filter the products before
they reach the client, so that products that do not comply with requirements are discarded or
repaired. This reception control is usually carried out by people who were not involved in the
production activities, which means that costs can be high, and preventative activities and
improvement plans may not be effective. It is a final control, located between producer and
client, and although it has the advantage of being impartial. Check list is usually handy
during quality control of construction works.
A construction company must reduce the costs of bad quality jobs as much as possible to
maintain a good image, and ensure that the results of its processes comply with the client's
requirements. Both internal and external controls can be carried out on quality performance.
For example, the inspection of concrete received by the contractor can be carried out by an
consultant structural engineer; the execution of steelworks can be controlled by the project
manager, or the local council area or state government can establish building control agency
for execution of building works.
Methodology of research
Questionnaires and direct interviews were engaged for mining of primary data as well as
searching newspapers, journals and newsletter of ministries, departments and agencies
(MDAs) in Lagos State for secondary data. Survey population was forty-eight (48) as
members of staff below the rank of Assistant Director were not allowed to participate in the
study. The Questionnaires was designed to seek data on the control measures put in place by
the Physical Development Department of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning
through the following suggestions to the respondents:
Approval to commence construction after obtaining development permit.
Inspection and certification of various stages of building construction.
Verification of your General Contractor’ All Risk and Building Insurance Policy.
Issuance of certificate of completion of building construction and fitness for
habitation.
Identification and removal of distressed and non-conforming buildings.
Public Health control in Buildings.
Advise on type of design and cost of construction
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The Questionnaires also sought to find out the causes of poor performance of the control
measures put in place against building collapse in Lagos State. The causes suggested by the
researcher which were analysed based on 5-point Likert Scale were: Corruption, Lack of
staff, Lack of Logistics, Inadequate Equipment, Lack of Cooperation from other
Stakeholders.
Discussion of Findings
Table 1: Table of the Causes of Poor Performance of Control Measures of Building Collapse
in Lagos State.
S/N Suggested Causes
by the Researcher
Number of
5 point
respondent
s
Number of
4 point
respondent
s
Number of
3 point
respondent
s
Number of
2 point
respondent
s
Number of
1 point
respondent
s
Total
points
of
factor
1 Corruption 23 18 3 2 2 202
2 Lack of
adequate staff
25 17 4 1 1 208
3 Lack of
Adequate
Logistics
18 19 3 3 5 186
4 Inadequate
Equipment
16 20 6 4 2 188
5 Lack of
Cooperation
from other
Stakeholders
25 18 3 1 1 209
The respondents’ choices of the control measures put in place to avert incessant building
collapses in Lagos State are: Approval to commence construction after obtaining
development permit, Inspection and certification of various stages of building construction,
Verification of your General Contractor’ All Risk and Building Insurance Policy, Issuance of
certificate of completion of building construction and fitness for habitation, Identification and
removal of distressed and non-conforming buildings, and Public Health control in Buildings.
The causes of poor performance of the control measures put in place, according to the
respondents are shown in the table above.
The respondents agreed that “Lack of Cooperation from the Stakeholders” with 209 points is
the greatest impediments to the control measure put in place for the aversion of building
collapse in Lagos State. The second most important factor, according to the respondents, is
“Lack of Adequate Staff” with 208 points. “Corruption” with 202 points was chosen as the
third most important impediments. “Inadequate Equipment” has 188 points and was chosen
as the fourth most important factor, while “Lack of Adequate Logistics” was chosen as the
fifth most important factor.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that building collapse is very rampant in Nigeria, this study had shown that
the rampant collapses are not due to the fact that control measures to avert building collapse
were not in place. There are enough control measures both institutional and legal frameworks
to avert incessant building collapse in Nigeria. The building regulations has enough
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provisions to ensure that the developers and/or their agents on site do not try to cut corners by
reducing the quantity of cement and number of iron rods used in concrete which will result in
poor quality concrete but the supervisors from the government ministry are not adequate, lack
logistics to efficiently monitor construction works in Lagos State and are corrupt.
In some construction sites, the site supervisors and workers are not experienced to determine
the adequate columns that will carry the upper loads. It is the duty of the Engineers from the
ministry to ensure that there is a qualified engineer, recognised by the Nigerian Society of
Engineers, on site. In most cases, these ministry Engineers will collude with the site workers
and collect money from them. The agency in charge of building control LABSCA lacks
capacity to prosecute defaulters and can only refer contraveners to the Ministry of Justice of
Lagos State Government. This process is cumbersome and time wasting.
The only punishment meted out to ‘unconnected’ owners of collapsed buildings in Lagos
State is for the government to seize the land. There has never been compensation to the
family of the victims. Government has also not prosecuted and incarcerate any owner of
collapsed building in Lagos State even where lives were lost. Quackery is a crime that should
be frowned at by all and government should criminalise this act in order to protect the poor
citizens who work on these sites and the occupiers of completed badly-built buildings.
Innocent souls have lost their lives.
The Lagos State Government should ensure that LABSCA operates from the Local
Government secretariat where they will be closer to the property developers. This practice
will reduce the distance that has to be travelled by members of LABSCA staff in Ikeja. There
should be adequate training and awareness exercises for the members of the public to know
that it is there duty to inform government agencies of bad and illegal construction. The
National Building Code bill which has been presented to the National Assembly since 2006,
should be passed into law as soon as possible.
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