Daily Independent (Lagos)
6 July 2009
editorial
Lagos — The recurring tragedy of collapsed buildings, especially within the Lagos metropolis, was re-enacted on Sunday, June 28, 2009, claiming more than 12 lives and leaving scores of other persons seriously injured. The incident occurred after a torrential downpour in Lagos.
Yet it clearly could have been prevented, according to Francisco Abosede, the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, had the Federal Government, which owns the two-storey building, allowed the state to perform its on-going integrity test on it.
Going by media reports, the over 40-year-old building located at the Iddo Terminus compound of the Nigerian Railway Corporation was originally a warehouse, later converted to a residential building. The collapse was but one disaster waiting to happen because the presence of salt on the concrete work had left it brittle, while the iron rods had all rusted, according to the Nigerian Building Institute's officials who visited the scene.
The real worry however is the submission of Abosede that there are "still more of such weak-structured buildings, whose bomb is waiting to explode in the near future". But beyond the passing of blame is the urgent need for the relevant authorities to conduct quality verification tests on all building materials brought to the market, according to the specifications of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, as a vital preventive measure.
Given the peculiar coastal nature of Lagos State's soil, with its porous, sandy texture, soil scientists and structural engineers should be actively involved in conducting the required tests before building approvals are issued. These include analysis of soil particle size and porosity. The iron rods should also be tested for tensile strength vis-a-vis the stress and strain indices for the expected building weight they would eventually support.
It is our view, however, that the social malaise of corruption can easily be identified as a factor militating against the due process requirements of the building industry. From the issue of acquiring plots of land to erecting safe and stable structures, more needs to be done to meet specified standards.
We applaud the swift response demonstrated by the Lagos State Government in handling the emergency, which helped considerably to reduce casualty in the Iddo tragic incident. Also deserving commendation is the state's ongoing assessment of buildings, earmarking of some for renovation, some for further testing and others to be demolished outright. We wish, nevertheless, to draw the government's attention to the more basic issues. It should tackle the high cost of building materials, including cement and iron rods. The current acute scarcity of housing also lies at the root of the problem, by driving a large percentage of residents in the state to such desperation as to expose their lives to the grave risk of sheltering under rickety and squalid structures.
Simply put, both the federal and state governments should go back to the drawing board and fashion out a sustainable programme for the mass production of affordable housing, under conventional mortgage terms. As in other, more developed, societies, low-income and middle-income workers should be able to enjoy the benefit of owner-occupier mortgage plans spread over a period of, say, 25 years. Besides, the government should standardise building plans of different categories for mass construction, to meet the challenges of inadequate housing for the spiralling population explosion in the urban areas. Regulations are also required pegging the average number of tenants per square metre in order to control the stress on buildings resulting from usage.
Similarly, we urge the Lagos State House of Assembly to expedite action on passing the Building Control Authority Bill into law. This will help to speed up the process of re-assessing all buildings in Lagos State, including many that are now death-traps. The state government should partner with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Building in fine-tuning the details of the bill. Furthermore, its officials should conduct periodic quality verification tests on materials, give certification for building construction and pay regular inspection visits to construction sites.
Adequate provision should be made, however, to guarantee succour for the large number of residents expected to be displaced as a consequence of the demolition policy. Some form of suitable compensation should be paid to law-abiding owners of affected buildings. For, it must be emphasized, the government owes a bounden constitutional duty to provide for the welfare of its citizens, including the provision of affordable, safe and decent shelter.
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