NANFeatures/Vol.11/No.131/2017 (Sept. 11)
Addressing the causes of building collapse
A News Analysis by Jacinta Nwachukwu, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
In a recent survey across the country, respondents attributed building failure to several causes including natural or man-made.
For instance, use of substandard building materials; poor workmanship and the use of quacks in construction works, among others, forms a large chunk of the survey.
Similarly, there is the problem of non-enforcement of building codes or construction regulations and corruption in the building industry, among other problems, featured in the survey.
However, builders have, on many occasions, cautioned that these problems often result in building collapse with adverse effects on people and investments in the building industry.
They note that in 2014 more than 100 deaths related to building collapse were recorded in Lagos Port-Harcourt and Abuja.
Worried by the development, estate developers advise that establishing a national housing council would be necessary to address the challenges and promote quality and affordable houses in the country.
Mr Ugochukwu Chime, the President, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, underscored the need for the government to develop a new town policy that would decongest the major cities in the country.
Chime noted that the nation had many institutions involved in financing housing development with little or no coordination among them.
He said it was critical for the country to have defined policy objectives as guidelines for housing development in the country.
According to him, laws are needed to govern the transaction dynamics in housing delivery.
He said: “In 2006 at a conference in Kano, we adopted the National Building Code but as at today, it has not been adopted by various state governments.
“It is a critical component to address the issue of building collapse we have in the country.
“We don’t have the laws; we don’t have foreclosure laws to ensure that people pay for the houses they have taken on mortgage.
“We don’t have regulations and codes as well as additional instruments that will provide more specific guidelines on how to apply the laws.
“We need to have what level of administration capacity a developer must have so as to be recognised.’’
Sharing similar view, a former governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor Attah, underscored the need to improve the skills of the people in the building industry for effective housing delivery.
Also speaking, Mr Anthony Okwa, a construction expert, blamed the irregularities characterising housing delivery in Nigeria to minimal or lack of standardisation of local content materials of construction.
Okwa said the preponderance of substandard housing materials in markets, deficit in supply and their non-affordability should be used as opportunity to enhancement the use of local contents in building.
He explained that standardisation of local contents in building materials could remove variations and irregularities in the activities and processes of housing delivery.
“Formulation and implementation of building standards in Nigeria has been quite slow; it has provided space for foreign materials, substandard building resources and quackery,’’ he observed.
He said that standardisation of local contents in construction works would enable Nigeria to benefit from diverse global technology and advancements.
He urged stakeholders in the construction environment to focus on standardisation of products, processes and solutions to derive meaningful benefits of standardisation in the housing sector.
“Stakeholders can learn from the knowledge and experiences of standardisation in other climes through an honest implementation of local content policy,’’ he said.
But Dr Peter Kuroshi, Registrar, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria insisted that, apart from these suggestions, builders should continually acquire knowledge and develop their skills to enhance their competence and professionalism.
“To be on top, you must continually acquire knowledge and develop your skills, especially in the core areas of building professional practice.
“Any professional decision and action you consider taken should be hinged on building technology, building production management, quality management, health and safety and building maintenance management.
“You can only fulfil your professional role effectively on the premise of the trust the public can have in your capacity which you must earn as you practice,’’ he said.
To curb building collapse, the Federal Government has also expressed determination to partner with stakeholders in the built industry to enhance the quality of construction.
Mr Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, made the promise in Abuja recently at the induction and investiture of the new registered builders by the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.
The minister said government was prepared to ensure the enactment of enabling legislation on the National Building Code for full implementation.
He, therefore, urged all the stakeholders in the built industry to develop effective benchmark for project quality management plan for building construction.
According to him, it is sad to know that cases of shoddy works and defective buildings still traverse the landscape in the country.
“In worst case scenarios, these have led to the collapse of buildings, loss of lives and investments.
“It must be admitted that building collapse is not limited to Nigeria alone or to developing economies, but the scope and frequency of the menace in our country has reached quite embarrassing proportions.
“In point of fact, building failure and collapse are clear manifestation of the failing of the design and construction processes.
“The onus, therefore, is on the critical stakeholders to undertake a conscientious overhaul of the present system which has allowed these shortcomings to breed,’’ he said.
Similarly, Prof. Bala Kabir, Chairman of Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, noted that the sector had, over the years, been bedevilled by poor quality project delivery and incessant building collapses.
He said these had often been attributed to quackery in the industry on the one hand and the dearth of registered builders on the other.
By and large, stakeholders insist that having a policy that would tackle malpractices in the sector will go a long way to avert building collapse in the country.
They, therefore, appeal to government to engage professional builders in building projects who can be identified for query in the events of any structural deficiency in building constructions.(NANFeatures)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)