Welcome To Lynk News Blog: Wetin Dey Happen? Tales of woes as Nigerians die over recurrent building collapse

Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, is in the throes of building collapse killing scores of citizens and injuring many across the country. This has continuously occurred over the years while the government and the regulatory agencies remain

mute as citizens die the most painful deaths ever.

Rather than take drastic actions against the incessant building collapse either against the contractors and owners of the structures or strengthen the regulatory agencies in a bid to enforce laws guiding the building and construction industry in the nation, the government remains unmindful of the series of deaths occasioned by building collapse across the nation.

A collapsed building in Lagos

On several occasions, governments have been seen to making highfalutin statements, stating warnings and promising to deal with contractors but afterwards relax as the pressure from the Nigeria public die down and the incident overtaken by events.

On other occasions, the government applies political dimensions to the situation as officials of government have one link or the other to the contractors, consequently enforcing laws against the contractors become political discussions and the issue is finally swept under the carpet without appropriate sanctions meted out to reckless contractors.

And the trend continues unabated. This has made building contractors, some of whom are quack engineers and untrained surveyors, to continue applying substandard materials to build multiple story buildings and skyscrapers. And when the weight of the building is greater than the force holding it, it gives way and the result is destruction of multiple lives. Most of these builders are primarily after their pockets, leaving scores of Nigerians to die at the prime of their lives.

Across big cities in the country, Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, Onitsha, Calabar, Benin, Abuja, Uyo, Port Harcourt, and others, buildings, most times churches, commercial and residential buildings, have crashed, killing worshippers and maiming others, rendering them useless to themselves and the Nigerian society. The development kills their dreams and their future is cut short.

And the culprits in these incidents, most of whom are contractors, have been left unprosecuted for shoddy jobs done. Even when human rights activists rise to prosecute them, power blocks will wake up and intercept the course of justice.

This is a three story building that collapsed in Lagos

Going down memory lane, on September 12, 2014, the city of Lagos was sent into mourning as the Synagogue Church building owned by Temitope Joshua, one of the most controversial pastors in Lagos, collapsed to the ground, killing scores of Nigerians and other foreigners who were at the church for worship. The vast majority of deaths were said to be South Africa nationals while the nationalities of others beside Nigerians were unknown. Over 115 people were killed with 84 being South Africans.

In the incident where the present minister of works, Babatunde Fashola, was governor of Lagos state, the state government claimed that the church did not get approval from the government before constructing the massive structure in Ikotun Egbe area of Lagos state. But from September 2014 till date, no sanction has been meted on the engineers that constructed the failed building, beside the cases which were said to have been instituted which have never seen the light of day.

On December 10, 2016, the roof of the Reigners Bible Church, an evangelical congregation, collapsed in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom state, during the consecration of the local bishop, Akan Weeks. The collapse of that building was the most catastrophic in recent times in the country, sending many to untimely graves. Varied statistics of people were reported dead as the disaster was of monumental impact.

Casualty figures were not specific with some stating 26 and other stating as high as 150 or 200. It was learnt that the governor of the state, Emmanuel Udom, escaped death by the whiskers as an aide of his was said to have paid for the life of the governor.

The church had been under construction before the incidents happened. The bishop of the church, Akan Weeks, was to be consecrated as bishop of the church. But unknown to many, the building was very fragile with poor engineering structures to hold the weight of the iron rods on top of it. And the building gave a signal and within minutes, it collapsed, killing as many as it could, leaving others reeling in the pool of their blood.

The ordination gathered the crème de la crème of the state where so many people died and many badly injured. It was gathered that the people were sardined in the Hilux vans to the hospitals, as some were for the mortuary, others were for the hospitals’ emergency wards. All hospitals in the city were said to have been filled from casualties from the incident.

Also, on July 10, 2016, a church belonging to the Lords Chosen Charismatic Movement collapsed in Asaba, the Delta state capital. The one story building was as well under construction as the Reigners Bible Church. Over 1000 worshippers, including children, escaped death by the whiskers. This was so because they had left church before the building caved in.

Reigners Bible church that collapsed in Uyo

The church had been long in building having been dealt with by rain and much sunshine. Although no life was lost, four people who were working on the building sustained minor injuries, there were structural challenges which led to the collapse of the building.

On Sunday, December 25, 2016, specifically on Christmas day, a two-story building said to belong to the Nigeria police force in Ikeja Lagos, collapsed, leaving two people dead. It was learnt that the incident took place at a densely populated Ikeja district in the commercial city of Lagos.

On September 9, 2015, no fewer than seven people, including a female police officer and ADC to the First Lady of a northern state, were injured when the popular Mekaval Hotel located in Effurun-Warri, Delta state, collapsed.

It was gathered that the collapsed hotel was similar to the collapse of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, as the victims were mostly indigenes of neighboring states who besieged the city seeking salvation at the Christ Mercy Land Church, headed by Pastor Jeremiah Fufeyin.

Again, on November 2, 2015, a building under construction suddenly collapsed killing two, injuring three in Benin City, the Edo state capital. The building, located opposite the NNPC mega filling station on Sapele road, was said to have collapsed when the victims were pouring concrete on a cantilever projection on the third floor when the building caved in. Reports have it that both the survivors and the dead were hired by a contractor to do the two-day job at N3, 000 per day for each worker.

In Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, a two story-building collapsed, killing one on May 3, 2014. A tipper driver identified as Kabiru was trapped under the debris at Ologuneru in Ido local government area of Ibadan city. Divine providence, however, made dozens of others working at the uncompleted building site to escape unhurt.

On August 7, 2013, a two story building under construction collapsed in Port Harcourt. Eye witnesses said some of the builders were resuming for the days job when the incident occurred. It was gathered that no life was lost.

This building collapsed in Lekki Lagos

In a similar development, five people were said to have died when a warehouse in Area A of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Port Harcourt collapsed on May 9, 2016. The incident, which was said to have occurred was said to have caused confusion within the NPA in the Rivers state, even as it was learnt that the warehouse was an old facility used in storing Dangote Salt.

An NPA worker disclosed that five persons were found in the rubble after a search was conducted, few minutes after the collapse. Another NPA worker in the area, however, said those affected were not inside the warehouse when the walls caved in.

In the Northern fringe of the country, 20 were feared dead as Kano varsity building collapsed when TETFUND sponsored two story building under construction collapsed at Kano University of Technology. The incident that occurred midday was said to have trapped a number of labourers at the site.

Again, in Kaduna metropolis, a 101-years-old 3-storey building collapsed. The incident happened on July 12, 2013. It was said to have trapped all the tenants that were inside at the time of the incident. No fewer than 50 people were in the building as the time of the incident and only five children, a woman and one other man were rescued unhurt but with minor injuries.

This was even as some of the victims continued to hit the walls of the collapsed building, screaming for help. A middle-aged woman and occupants of the building collapsed on seeing the ruins, after shouting “my children, my children!” She was taken to one of the nearby hospitals by men of the state’s Operation Yaki in a vehicle.

Former governor of Lagos, Fashola, during the collapse of Synagogue Church of All Nations

These, among others, are series of cases of collapsed buildings in Nigeria, while the government blame contractors for shoddy jobs and incompetence, they take no appropriate legal actions against them.

But what may have led to the recurrent collapse of buildings in the country? Building engineers are of the view that the inability of an engineer to carry out proper site investigation, calculate design loads accurately, use of substandard building materials are some causes of recurrent building collapse in the country.

Investigation also revealed that use of incompetent craftsmen leading to poor workmanship, weak supervision, poor building designs and planning, natural disaster, non-compatible soil type, non-compliance with specifications or standards by developers and contractors, incompetent contractors, lack of enforcement of building codes by the relevant town planning officials and poor monitoring, among others are observed factors that could metamorphose to buildings crashing and destroying lives and property.

Investigations also revealed that privately-owned buildings, commercial or residential, are in the lead of collapsed buildings across Nigeria. Available facts indicate that more than 70 per cent of building collapse in Nigeria emanate from the informal sector. On several occasions, the informal sector does not follow due process in the construction of buildings.

Experts say building construction demands careful supervision, monitoring and valuation to ensure that the requirements and specifications for quality assurance are strictly adhered to. But the problem with Nigeria is its inability to implement or enforce laws it made for the good of the people. Different considerations are given, political, corruption, relationship and the issues are swept away.

On July 5, 2010, former governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, signed a bill into law to regulate building construction in Lagos. The law aims at regulating the construction of buildings in the state. The bill was said to be a fallout of frequent building collapses recorded across Lagos.

The governor said that interactions with artisans, bricklayers, sand miners and others in the construction industry showed that building collapse was a result of poor quality materials.

He said the law will ensure that building contractors and developers abide by the building codes, by using appropriate building and electrical materials. He said it will also ensure that buildings are built to right specifications, with right materials for the safety of the workers and fit for tenants’ habitation on completion.

Still in Lagos

He added that insurance companies must be involved, insisting that when insurance companies are involved, they would be responsible for the payment of compensation to victims of any collapsed buildings if such eventually happens. But the enforcement of this law is subject to question as buildings have been collapsing in the state but the law is yet to catch up with building engineers who fail to abide by the provisions of the law.

A tribunal of inquiry set up by Lagos state government in 2013 identified weak implementation, as well as deliberate flouting of regulations and gross corruption across board as factors hindering the effectiveness of construction and building laws in the country.

As it is now, the laws are weak, implementers are weak due to corruption and political interference. Therefore for the law to take stand, politicians must look away, the law and institutions must be strengthened so as to compel defaulters to either be imprisoned or pay according to law. But can this be done in Nigeria? Time will tell.

Watch video of police building collapse in Lagos