Building Collapse in Nigeria during recent years – Causes, effects and way forward
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Building collapse in Nigeria in the last few decades is a growing concern for investors
and the government alike. Many of the documented cases of building collapse in Nigeria are due
to the use of defective or substandard building materials, no requisite technical knowledge, nonadherence
to building codes and standards, the use of non-professionals and the high level of
corruption which has ravaged every sphere of the construction industry including government
and private parastatals. In addition to the established causes of the collapse of structures,
empirical data from developed countries of the world has shown that many of the recorded cases
in this climes are due to the fact that the current codes of practice do not make provisions for
unexpected loads and an unexpected failure of a single member may lead to an all-round collapse
of the entire structure. This study critically highlights the collapse cases of buildings in Nigeria
and provides recommendations to halt this growing concern. It seeks to shed further light on
these causes and the likelihood for the continued collapse of buildings in Nigeria if measures are
not urgently and strategically put in place by all concerned stakeholders. It also seeks to reduce
the impact of man-made phenomena on buildings through awareness and policy formulation by
the government.
Keywords
TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General), TH Building construction