Regulators should do well to enforce building codes
Within a period of 24 hours last week, there were two fatal building collapses in Rivers and Lagos States. First, a five-storey building under construction collapsed in the Woji area of Port Harcourt, trapping several persons. A day later, a three-storey structure similarly collapsed in the Alakija area of Lagos. While no fewer than nine people have been reported dead from the two tragedies with dozens of others wounded, industry data reveal that between 60 and 75 major construction-related accidents occur in the country annually, with Lagos State accounting for half the number. As experts continue to cite weak regulatory oversight and non-compliance with approved building standards as factors for these building collapses, authorities in the sector must find a solution to this menace.
In other climes, buildings don’t just collapse every other day. That is because there are procedures to follow when constructing a building. But in Nigeria, these conventions/regulations are hardly adhered to because of poor enforcement of laws. “Most building collapses are not sudden incidents. They are known risks. The failure is not in detecting the problems but in enforcing the laws that should prevent them,” a chartered quantity surveyor and construction contracts administrator, Bolarinwa Dejonwo, said. “Buildings are designed for specific purposes. Once you change the use without proper structural assessment and regulatory approval, you expose occupants to serious danger.”
