Building collapse is a big problem in Nigeria. Often, experts in the building construction sector of the economy have blamed selfish contractors, professionals and lack of proper supervision for the incessant building collapse incidents around the country.
They have also identified non-involvement of relevant professionals, and emphasis on the Procurement Act, which says the lowest responsive bidder wins the contract, regardless of whether the rates are reasonable or not, as some of the factors which engender building collapse.
The perpetual incidents of building collapse has also been blamed on the lack of qualified and professional supervisors. Project owners who care about security and safety may in this case invite foreign experts for their building projects just to avert danger of building collapse.
One will think that the problem of building collapse in Nigeria should be about old and dilapidated buildings but such is not the case, as many reports state that the buildings are often uncompleted one or recently completed buildings. This goes so much to suggest that the problem really lies on local expertise, which has to be greatly improved for the challenge of collapse to reduce. A well-designed building could collapse if it is not well-supervised.
Nigerian engineers have also frowned on the unpatriotic and greedy roles of some “unprofessional contractors” who use inferior materials and employ cheap labour to maximise profit at the expense of human lives.
They suggest need for building experts to design a layout, action area plan and proper soil test to know bearing capacity of the soil as well as procurement of good materials before embarking on construction of any building.
Therefore, Nigerian building experts should do their best in providing a living experience in a friendly community based on a development blueprint that caters for the needs of those with discerning taste. This would normally accommodate duplexes, detached houses, gardens and children play areas, walkways and other residential facilities like gymnasium, Lawn-tennis court, mini mart and swimming pool, among others.
Only through this kind of means would Nigerians be able to get their dream houses without the fear of falling into the hand of fraudsters who do shady jobs and let other innocent people suffer the consequences.
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