The Jos school building collapse, which led to the death of 22 students on July 12, 2024, was a monumental tragedy. The collapse of the two-storey building belonging to Saint Academy Secondary School, Busa Buji in Jos North local government area of Plateau State, also left scores of students injured. The unfortunate incident occurred while the students were writing their third term examinations. About 132 persons were reportedly injured. The precise cause of the collapse of the school building has not been established. However, there are reports that the school building was erected on abandoned mining site.
Good enough, the government of Plateau State has set up an investigative panel to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the incident. But, the preliminary reports from the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) attributed the incident to the use of substandard materials and poor construction work.
According to the Director General of NBRRI, Prof Samson Duna, the report of the panel, headed by Prof O.F. Job of the Building Department at the University of Jos, revealed that the building was distressed while weak materials were used for the construction. The report also showed that the quality of the concrete used in the construction of the two-storey building was in doubt, as there was no boundary between the concrete and the steel reinforcement. It added that the slab reinforcement anchorage provided for the structure was inadequate.
We bemoan the avoidable tragedy. The Jos school building collapse is another addition to the long list of collapsed buildings across the country in recent times. Apparently, no lesson has been learnt from earlier incidents of building collapse. Undoubtedly, building collapse has become an annual ritual in the country. According to Building Collapse Guild data, Nigeria witnessed not less than 604 cases of building collapse between 1974 and 2024.
Lagos State has recorded more building collapse than any other state in the country. Building collapse occurs at any season in Lagos. Let those charged with the investigation of this tragedy come out with the actual causes of the collapse and recommend measures to avert such incidents. Before the Jos episode, there was a building collapse close to Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS), Onitsha, Anambra State on 12 June. Other instances abound. According to the President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Sadiq Abubakar, Nigeria recorded 22 cases of building collapse between January and July 2024.
Lagos State accounts for 27.27 per cent, Abuja and Anambra 18.18 per cent each in the ugly development. Ekiti and Plateau followed with 9.09 per cent each, with Kano, Taraba and Niger states accounting for 4.55 per cent each. Though conservative, the figure is worrisome.
The Jos building collapse has once again raised concerns over the safety and integrity of many structures across the country. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, said about 3.6 million housing units in the country are substandard. The urban and regional planning law is observed in breach. Integrity tests on buildings should be routine. The government must find a lasting solution to incessant cases of building collapse.
The construction of public buildings must be in line with rules set by the Nigerian Society of Structural Engineers (NSSE). The NSSE recommends that a building should be managed by qualified professionals, including structural, mechanical and electrical engineers. Others are architects, and quantity surveyors.
To curb the recurring cases of building collapse, let professionals be used in all building works across the country. The use of quacks in building construction must be jettisoned. The infiltration of the industry by quacks has led to unethical dealings such as the use of cheap and inferior materials, improper supervision and distortion of original building plans. The building regulatory agencies should squarely address the challenge.
Nigeria has continued to experience recurring cases of building collapse because of lack of diligent inspection. Moreover, those responsible for the collapse of many buildings have not been adequately sanctioned. Let developers ensure that appropriate building materials and approved plans are used in the construction of buildings. Those who fail to adhere to building codes must be punished.
There is need to prosecute those responsible for the collapse of any building in the country. Since developers and building experts are vicariously liable for the collapse of buildings, they should be diligently prosecuted. The absence of adequate prosecution of those involved in building collapse and lack of punishment can explain the preponderance of incidents of building collapse in Nigeria.
Henceforth, any building that is defective must be demolished. Let there be a culture of maintenance in the building sector. We sympathise with the families of the victims of the Jos school building incident and wish the injured speedy recovery. Let the government pay the hospital bills of the injured and compensate the families of the dead victims.