Building collapses are all too common in Lagos. here’s why

Lagos’ growing status as an emerging mega-city and commercial hub in sub-Saharan Africa has come with a number of challenges. One of them is building security.

Building collapses are common in Lagos – hardly a year goes by without a case. Some have caused the loss of many lives. For example, it was reported that 115 buildings, mostly residential, collapsed in Lagos between 2005 and 2016. And around 4,000 families were left homeless and traumatized.

I have undertaken a study to analyze the trends and causes of this problem in Lagos. I wanted to understand the disaster risk reduction measures put in place by the state government to prevent and respond to building collapses. My aim was to provide information for a policy response aimed at preventing and mitigating these disasters.

It appeared that the failings of private developers and the government contributed to the problem. The solutions lie in awareness, skills, compliance with regulations and guaranteeing the consequences of failures.

The collapse of the building

I obtained data from professionals in the built environment such as architects, builders, structural engineers, town planners, surveyors and real estate experts. These professionals were from the Lagos State Planning Authority, the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Security Commission, and law firms. private. I chose these respondents to obtain professional information on the subject through in-depth interviews.

The data presented in my recent article showed that buildings collapse every year in the state. The highest number of cases in Lagos were reported in 2011, 2012 and 2019, when 19, 14 and 17 buildings, respectively, collapsed.

Of 152 buildings that collapsed in Lagos between 2005 and 2020, 76.6% were residential, 13% were commercial and 9.4% were institutional. Most of the buildings that have collapsed are usually multi-story buildings.

These cases of building collapses were due to:

• Unqualified or unqualified builders.

• Poor quality building materials.

• Illegal conversion or modification of existing structures.

• Lack of maintenance.

Interviewees said the meltdowns were directly linked to the greed and ignorance of developers tasked with constructing buildings in the state. They also said that ineffective monitoring of building development contributed to this. It was because of the lack of manpower and insufficient tools. Corruption of officials responsible for approving construction plans was also an important factor mentioned by respondents.

Disaster risk reduction practices

The Lagos State government has established four agencies to oversee the development of buildings from design through construction to completion. These are: the Lagos State Land Use Planning Authority, which was established in 1998; Lagos State Building Control Agency, which officially started in August 2012; Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory, established in 2006 and Lagos State Security Commission which was inaugurated in 2009.

But some of the building environment professionals I interviewed told me that the building development agencies were understaffed. They also said the agencies did not have enough vehicles to adequately monitor construction projects in Lagos state.

The Lagos Urban and Regional Planning and Development Act 2010 empowers the state government to take possession of a property where a building has collapsed. The affected property will not, however, be repossessed by the government if the owner can prove that the fault is the developer’s poor judgment.

The government also has the power to prosecute real estate developers and construction engineers; and require professional orders to seize or withdraw the licenses of offending professionals. However, the implementation of these sanctions remains questionable. There is little or no evidence that such penalties have been imposed on defaulters in the past.

I have concluded that the collapse of a building is caused by failures of both private developers and the government.

Go forward

Citizens, built environment professionals and government must act to prevent the common problem of building collapse in Lagos and Nigeria in general. Responsible government agencies and professional bodies should promote awareness of the need to obtain a building permit before building. They should also stress the need to involve professionals in the construction of buildings.

State governments must fund all agencies in charge of construction. They must also ensure that competent and qualified professionals are employed to ensure the implementation of building code regulations. This would greatly contribute to the effective and efficient development of buildings across the country. Equally important is providing modern facilities such as drones and GPS for effective monitoring and enforcement of building regulations.

I also suggest that penalties such as heavy fines, confiscation of property and prison terms be imposed on any professionals or owners who violate building control regulations or engage in unethical practices. that can cause buildings to collapse.

Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola does not work, consult, own stock or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has not disclosed any relevant affiliation beyond his academic appointment.

By Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola, DAAD Postdoctoral Fellow ClimapAfrica at the Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand