Here's Why Building Collapses Are All Too Common in Lagos
The rising status of Lagos as an emerging megacity and a commercial nerve centre in sub-Saharan Africa has come with a number of challenges. One of these is the safety of buildings. Building collapses are common in Lagos - hardly a year passes by without cases with some resulting in the loss of lives. For instance, it was reported that 115 buildings, mostly residential, collapsed in Lagos between 2005 and 2016. And about 4,000 families have been left homeless and traumatised, writes Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola for The Conversation.
Several factors have been fingered as the causes of building collapse in Nigeria, chiefly the use of substandard building materials, the deployment of unsafe, cost-cutting techniques in housing construction and the lack of professional supervision at various levels of the construction process.
The spate of building collapse in Nigeria has been steadily increasing over the past few years, drawing concerns from the government and other stakeholders. Government agencies must ensure that designs are according to the plan for the areas where the houses are to be built and also insist on the need to engage professionals in the construction of buildings, writes Okunola.
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Nigeria:
Building Collapses Are All Too Common in Lagos. Here's Why
The Conversation Africa, 22 August 2021
The rising status of Lagos as an emerging megacity and a commercial nerve centre in sub-Saharan Africa has come with a number of challenges. One of these is the safety of… Read more »
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Nigeria:
Again 3 Storey Building Collapses in Lagos, Kills 5 Yr-Old Boy
Vanguard, 8 July 2021
Tragedy struck on Thursday, when a 5-year-old boy died and scores narrowly escaped death following the partial collapse of a distressed three-storey building in Adeniji Adele axis… Read more »
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Nigeria:
Landlord Dies in Lagos Building Collapse
Premium Times, 21 July 2021
Construction work was suspended at the site due to the Eid-El-Kabir celebration as workers were at work until late night on Monday. Read more »
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Nigeria:
Lagos Collapsed Building - Eight Dead, 20 Injured
Premium Times, 12 October 2020
The death toll from the building collapse that happened at Obalende, Lagos, on Sunday, has risen to eight on Monday morning, an official has said. Read more »
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Nigeria:
Lagos Moves to Tackle Problem of Building Collapse
Leadership, 6 January 2021
As part of measures to tackle problem of frequent building collapses in the state, Lagos State Resilience Office (LASRO) has organised an evaluation, training programme for top… Read more »
InFocus
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In 2018, the government announced a new national building code that will regulate construction with the aim of improving on measures to safeguard lives and property in the country. ... Read more »
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The building on Lagos Island, was on the list for demolition and fortunately all occupants had moved out. The collapse comes barely two weeks after the Itafaji building collapse, ... Read more »
(file photo).