A building is a closed structure that is used for both industrial and residential purposes. A building is said to have collapsed if the deformation of one or more of its constituent members makes it unsafe for its intended use.
Construction of buildings that require structural supervision is undertaken by a Civil engineer. The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria(COREN) and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) are responsible for the accreditation and Certification of engineers in Nigeria, they also have the responsibility of checking the structural integrity of ongoing construction works in Nigeria.
Two of the most notable building collapse of recent times in Nigeria are the Synagogue church all Nation building collapse and the Uyo church roof collapse which lead to several dead and dozens injured.

Below are the major causes of a building collapse in Nigeria
1. POORLY DONE OR LACK OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN IN NIGERIAN BUILDING PROJECTS

Several building projects in Nigeria that require a structural design either do not have one or have a poorly done structural design.
It’s the responsibility of the building approval agencies in the 36 Nigerian states and the Federal capital territory to scrutinise the structural drawings before given the approval for construction. Sadly, several poorly designed structures fall through the cracks and are given approval for construction.

2. CORRUPTION IN THE BUILDING APPROVAL AGENCIES

Several cases of building collapse in Nigeria boil down to the building approval agencies turning a blind eye to the construction of buildings without the requisite approval from the building approval agencies.
The site supervisor after paying the requested bribe is now left without oversite supervision from the building approval agencies, this now influences the supervisor a view of cutting cost which can be detrimental to the structural integrity of the structure.

3. SUPERVISION OF STRUCTURAL WORKS BY UNQUALIFIED PERSONS.

There are several cases of buildings that require structural supervision being supervised by persons without the requisite training to supervise structural works. Cases like high rise building being supervised by Architects and Artisans without the presence of an Engineer.

4. USE OF SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS IN THE NIGERIAN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.

Due to the absence of a quality control agency in the Nigerian building construction industry, a lot of substandard materials find their way into construction sites all over the country. The most common example is the substandard High yield reinforcement bars being sold all over the country. The design strength being used for the high yield bars in structural design is 410-460N/mm2 but there are cases where the reinforcement bars undergo tensile strength test and fails to meet up to 370N/mm2.

The causes of building collapses in Nigeria discussed above can be averted by the following measures-
- Due diligence by the client in awarding of contracts to competent engineers duly registered by COREN AND NSE
- Strict measures by COREN AND NSE to ensure only qualified engineers are inducted
- Effective Quality control of building materials in Nigeria
- Taming of corruption in the building approval agencies

With the causes and remedies discussed above, it can be said that the building construction industry in Nigeria is in dire need of an intervention by the relevant state and federal agency to avert further building collapses in Nigeria

https://www.harneyprojects.com/single-post/2018/04/22/major-causes-of-building-collapse-in-nigeria

may God help us all

Bowwow11:
may God help us all

Heaven helps those who help themselves.
Private individuals and Government agencies have to conduct due diligence when executing contracts to individuals.

With the news about the building collapse in Jabi, Abuja. I believe points raised in this post have to be looked into to avert future building collapse.

Three years after this post, we are bombarded with news of another building collapse in Nigeria. This time around, the collapsed building took the life of the owner.
May God grant the bereaved families the fortitude to bear the loss.