Why Buildings Keep Collapsing in Lagos

In Nigeria’s megacity Lagos, a building collapses every two weeks year to date.

While the commercial costs can be calculated, the value of the lives lost beneath the ruins cannot be measured in numbers.

The gaps between buildings were replaced by piles of rubble, representing a failure of management and sparking accusations that contractors were trying to cut corners to save money.

There are regulations, there are maintenance programs, there are inspectors – but the system doesn’t work.

Those responsible were never held accountable, so nothing changed.

One expert called Lagos the “building collapse capital of Nigeria” in an interview with the BBC. According to statistics from the Nigerian Engineering Regulatory Commission, at least 90 buildings have collapsed in Lagos in the past 12 years, killing more than 350 people.

One of the most infamous incidents occurred in 2021.

A 21-storey luxury apartment building under construction collapsed in the upscale suburb of Ikoyi, just metres away from Sandifemi, killing 42 people.

After a loud bang, he was swallowed by the dust.

“Like many people, I rushed into the house to see if I could help those trapped. Unfortunately, I knew some of the victims and I think about it every day,” he said, recalling what happened nearly three years ago.

The drinks seller was talking to some construction workers before they entered the site.

He still works nearby and locals often talk about the incidents and their possible causes.

Metal plates shield the site from prying eyes, but piles of broken concrete can still be seen through the gaps in the gates.

When knocks were made on the gate of the ill-fated compound, two grim-looking security guards opened it and said they had been instructed not to allow anyone except state government officials to enter the compound.

Just as the site is closed to the public, so too is the official investigation into the collapse — the findings of which have been in the governor’s hands since he received the report in 2022.

The panel has reportedly made a series of recommendations following its investigation, but these have not yet been made public.

The BBC has repeatedly asked Lagos State authorities to look at these recommendations and the report on the Ikoyi building collapse, but has received no response.

However, the coroner has expressed her opinion, and in 2022 she is not holding back.

In a scathing judgement on the deaths, Chief Justice Oyetade Komolafe blamed the building collapse on the irresponsibility and negligence of government agencies that were supposed to approve and oversee planning and construction.

The population of Lagos is growing rapidly and is currently estimated to be over 20 million.

As cities grow, so does the demand for housing and commercial real estate, and sometimes it feels like a giant construction site with construction going on everywhere.

Before work can begin, the project plans must be approved by the Lagos State Planning and Permits Authority. Inspectors from the Lagos State Bureau of Building Control (LASBCA) will then visit the site and check the progress of each stage of construction.

The Standards Organization of Nigeria should ensure that only suitable building materials enter the market.

But in many cases, procedures are not followed.

In the offices of LASBCA, all seemed quiet—no one realized the urgency of the problems or challenges it faced.

The spokesman, Olusegun Olaoye, acknowledged the criticisms but denied allegations that officials received bribes to issue false certificates, instead blaming it on lack of resources.

“We currently have about 300 building inspectors and supervisors, but we hope to increase that further,” he said.

Experts agree that more regulators are needed.

Architect and construction expert Muhammad Danmarya said their number should be in the thousands.

“For a state like Lagos, 300 inspectors and supervisors are not enough. There should be at least 100 inspectors and supervisors in each local government area and Lagos has 57 such areas,” he argued.

“Wherever you look, you can always see construction going on, so it’s important to be able to inspect and monitor at all times.”

The lack of such a system statewide has allowed less-than-honest companies to get away with violating building codes, using substandard materials and hiring inadequately trained workers — three reasons why building collapses are so common.

“Whenever there is work for us to do, they pick us up and pay us after the work is completed,” said Habu Isah, a laborer who has worked at the construction site for many years.

“I never had any training, I just learned everything on the job.”

But even if violations are discovered after a building collapses, the state building department won’t take any legal action.

“To my knowledge, there have been no prosecutions in the past as far as building collapses in Lagos are concerned,” Mr Olaoye of LASBCA admitted.

“I know these statistics are concerning, but we are working hard to stop this trend.”

Alleged political influence is an obstacle to prosecution.

“If you are connected to powerful people, even if you are responsible for a building collapse, nothing will happen to you,” a Lagos state politician, who asked not to be named, told the BBC.

“We’ve seen this happen many times, with some high-profile cases involving structures of high-level people still hanging around.

“In Nigeria, if you have money and connections, you can easily avoid trouble.”

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency has recorded 19 building collapses so far this year, and the final total is likely to be the highest in the past decade.

But the lesson may still not have been learned.

The chairman of Nigeria’s Engineering Regulatory Council recently said the country lacks the capacity to properly investigate what is happening.

“We don’t have the expertise, the equipment and the resources to do this,” Professor Sadique Abubakar said.

Meanwhile, construction workers and others will continue to pay with their lives.

Additional reporting by Andrew Gift