Nigeria Records 54 Building Collapse Cases In Four Years

A total of 54 buildings collapsed across the country within a period of four years, a report from the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has stated.

This is coming as the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development called on the federal and state governments to subsidise the cost of infrastructure in order to make housing affordable in Nigeria.

The council is made up of commissioners of lands, housing and urban development of all states in Nigeria, directors and the permanent secretaries at the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, ministers of relevant ministries, as well as other qualified stakeholders in the industry.

In a communiqué issued by the FMPWR at the end of the just concluded 6th meeting of the council, with the theme, ‘Building for Inclusion, Growth and Prosperity,’ which was made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Friday, participants at the gathering put the number of building collapse that occurred in Nigeria between 2012 and 2016 at 54.

To address the cases of building collapse in Nigeria, the council resolved that the Nigerian Society of Engineers should liaise with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria to investigate and identify those involved in the 54 building collapse cases.

The council “urged the NSE and COREN to collaborate in conducting detailed investigation and report on the identities of professionals and non-professionals involved in the 54 collapsed buildings between 2012 and 2016.”

Participants at the meeting also approved the setting up of a committee to review the urban planning law, CAP N138 LFN 2004 Law of the Federation 1990, and to report at the next meeting.

They urged the Federal Government to facilitate early passage of the bill before the National Assembly for the enforcement of the provisions of the revised and validated Nigeria National Building Code.

On subsidy for cost of infrastructure, the council observed that this would enhance the drive for affordable housing across the country if implemented by all tiers of government.

The report also said, “It (council) called on all tiers of government to subsidise the cost of infrastructure as social investment to make housing affordable and encourage them to promote the use of cooperative societies in the provision of affordable housing as currently undertaken by the armed forces, the police and the paramilitary agencies for their personnel.”