Manually produced blocks cause 50% of building collapse in Nigeria –Study

More than 50 per cent of collapsed buildings across urban and rural communities in Nigeria have been ascribed to use of manually produced blocks.

Thirty per cent are as a result of use of poor quality iron and steel, while the rest is caused by other unethical practices by some contractors.

This was part of submissions made at an interactive session of a Building Technology workshop, organised by stakeholders in the sector in Ikeja, Lagos on Monday.

They called on various regulatory authorities to step up efforts at placing total ban on use of non- fabricated blocks in setting up buildings and other structures in the country.

“One of the practical ways of finding solution to rising incidence of building collapse in parts of the country is to begin to enforce the 2007 understanding reached between quantity surveyors, civil construction engineers on one hand, and the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) on the other hand.

Read also: Tension in Rivers community as cultists kill youth leader, visitor, houses burnt.

“In it, one of the ways of checking structures’ collapse, either under construction or when occupied, is to revert to the agreement to dissuade use of untested blocks, iron and other components in buildings.

“Many reports on most of the affected structures proved that more than 50 per cent of the collapsed structures were set up with untested materials contrary to known standards in other climes”.

This is the view of Mr. Silas Ovebwere, the immediate past deputy president, of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, at the event.

He said failure of the relevant agencies to monitor contractors had not helped matters.

Others who volunteered comments on the subject stopped short of blaming undue competition among various players in the industry for the causes of collapsed buildings in the country.

A professor of building at the University of Lagos, Godwin Idoro, in a paper titled: ‘The Building Collapse Prevention Guilds’ (BCPG) said to prevent the production of substandard blocks, the combined efforts of all stakeholders, including governments and their ministries, departments and agencies; professional bodies, clients, designers and consultants, contractors, suppliers and block producers are needed.

Hear Idoro: “The use of non-mechanical method of production should be stopped; it is time for all stakeholders to discourage the use of manually produced blocks.

“There is a need to encourage fabrication and production of better locally produced block moulding machines.

“There should also be adoption of certification of blocks. For this purpose, SON, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Universities, polytechnics and the Nigerian Institute of Building can be empowered to develop conditions, conduct inspections and award their certification, which can be used in design specifications.”

He suggested that there should also be bodies, as well as regular training of block moulders on the standards.

“Government should make it mandatory for blocks to carry the name of producers, brand name, date of manufacture and expiration like other manufactured products, and the government should have classification of block manufacturers as SMEs and provide financial support to them like other SMEs,” he stated.

But the President, BCPG, Mr. Kunle Awobodu, said the frequent increase in the production cost of blocks in recent times due to the continuous rise in the price of cement and other production variables had encouraged compromise in the quality of blocks.

Awobodu said to avoid a repeat of the sad experience of the Synagogue Church of All Nations’ building collapse of September 12, 2014, the BCPG has been hosting block moulders across Lagos State aimed at reducing sharp practices in the industry.

He noted, “Most of the blocks that are made today are not properly cured as they are taken to site for use before one to one and a half week minimal period for curing.

“The major reason for this sharp practice is due to the fact that most block moulders do not have sufficient funds to acquire adequate expanse of land for spreading and stacking of the blocks, and also because of their inability to manufacture the product well ahead of the time for its demand.

“To overcome this shortcoming or impatience, cement manufacturers are forced to produce rapid hardening cement for blocks.

“Undue competition and rivalry have also made some block moulders to sell below production costs for standard blocks, which has, invariably, led to gradual quality reduction in block production”, he stated.

 

 

 

 

RipplesNigeria ….without borders, without fears

Click here to download the Ripples Nigeria App for latest updates

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now