The Building Collapse Prevention Guild’s report paints a grim picture of building safety in Nigeria, revealing a persistent and alarming trend of structural failures across the country. From October 1974 to January 2025, a staggering 640 building collapses were recorded, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in the construction sector. The year 2024 alone witnessed 47 collapses across 14 states, a figure that, while lower than the peak in 2022, still represents a significant safety concern. This consistent pattern of collapses highlights systemic issues within the industry, ranging from inadequate building regulations and enforcement to potentially compromised construction materials and practices. The human cost of these failures is undoubtedly substantial, though the report doesn’t provide comprehensive casualty figures.
Lagos State emerges as a focal point of the building collapse crisis, consistently accounting for the highest number of incidents. In 2024, Lagos recorded 13 collapses, representing over 55% of the national total. This disproportionate concentration of collapses in Lagos likely reflects a confluence of factors, including rapid urbanization, high population density, and potentially, greater scrutiny and reporting of incidents compared to other states. Abuja follows as the second most affected region, with six collapses in 2024, while Anambra, Kano, and Rivers each experienced four. The distribution of collapses across multiple states, however, emphasizes that the problem is not confined to a single region but reflects a broader national challenge.
The historical data presented in the report underscores the long-standing nature of the building collapse problem in Nigeria. While there were periods with no recorded collapses (1971, 1975, and 1981), the overall trend indicates a recurring issue. Notably, even during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, when construction activity was presumably reduced, 45 collapses still occurred, with Lagos again accounting for a significant proportion. The highest number of collapses occurred in 2022, with 62 incidents nationwide, further emphasizing the fluctuating yet persistent nature of the problem. This fluctuation suggests that external factors, such as economic conditions or regulatory changes, may influence the annual number of collapses, but the underlying systemic issues remain unresolved.
The report also highlights the geographical spread of building collapses, with several states experiencing their first recorded incidents in recent years. Taraba, Bayelsa, Gombe, and Yobe recorded their first collapses in 2022, while other states, including Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, and Kebbi, have recorded only one collapse since their inclusion in the data. This expansion of the geographical reach of building collapses suggests that the underlying issues contributing to these failures are becoming more widespread, potentially due to factors such as increased construction activity in previously less developed regions or a diffusion of substandard practices.
The report identifies the first recorded building collapse in Nigeria as occurring in Oyo State in October 1974, where a multi-story building collapsed due to excessive loading, resulting in 27 deaths. This incident highlights the recurring issue of overloading as a contributing factor to building collapses. The report also notes the tallest building collapse in the country, which occurred in Lagos in November 2021, resulting in 52 deaths. This tragic incident underscores the potential for catastrophic consequences when building failures occur in densely populated areas. The identification of these specific incidents serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of inadequate building practices and the urgent need for effective prevention measures.
The data provided by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild aligns with previous reports on building collapses in Nigeria, confirming the severity and persistence of the problem. A report by PUNCH newspaper, citing earlier data, revealed that 635 building collapses had occurred between 1974 and November 2024, with Lagos State again accounting for the majority of incidents (over 350). This corroboration across multiple sources strengthens the validity of the findings and emphasizes the need for a concerted effort to address the root causes of these collapses. The consistent identification of Lagos as the epicenter of the crisis underscores the need for targeted interventions in this state, while also acknowledging the nationwide scope of the problem. Ultimately, the report serves as a call to action for stakeholders across the construction industry, including government agencies, professional bodies, and construction companies, to prioritize building safety and implement effective measures to prevent future tragedies.
