‘How to track those culpable for collapsed buildings’

What is the law on building collapse?As of today I don’t think there is a particular law made for building collapse. But I think there has been guiding principles that guide professionals because each professional in the built environment has their own ethics and expectations in practice.The architect draws in such a manner as to […]

What is the law on building collapse?
As of today I don’t think there is a particular law made for building collapse. But I think there has been guiding principles that guide professionals because each professional in the built environment has their own ethics and expectations in practice.
The architect draws in such a manner as to give the aesthetic beauty and acceptability of the structure itself. But of course, you know we have the engineers that look at the structure to make sure that it is really going to stand. And it starts from the foundation. They look at the soil type. The soil test will determine the nature of the foundation.  
That of course the architect does it but the structural engineer again comes to look at it to see that all the beauty the architect has come up with can stand. If there are areas that have challenges the engineer alerts the architect to make some corrections.
But of course, we also have the builders themselves that come in terms of directing the structure after the architect, the engineers whether they are structural, mechanical or electrical have done their parts. The builder comes to the stage to now come up with the building itself.

How do we prevent building collapse?
Two or three issues are considered always to prevent building collapse. One is the foundation and that has to be really monitored because the height of the building determines the nature of the foundation based on the type of soil. You can go and have a building inside the ocean, it may not collapse because the foundation inside the ocean is different from the foundation you may have in a swampy area which may be different from the one you may have in a rocky area or Sahara area.  So these are the factors.
Professionals are guided by the principles of their operations but we have just of recent approved the building code. The building code has been there but it wasn’t put into use. It was this year that the current Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development approved it after a stakeholders’ meeting. With that one now, government has given the check for this document then we can go ahead and start implementing the building code.
The building code is not a law but a guide to professionals in the built environment. So when you do it that way you will discover that you have a kind of assurance that the structure will stand if all the professionals put in their knowledge in the erection of a building.

Why are those involved in building collapse not punished?
There are so many factors that can lead to building collapse.  Firstly, government. Government has to implement policies, in terms of enacting laws, in terms of employing the qualified persons.
Also the professionals have their own roles in terms of doing their job professionally. So when the professionals are corrupt or when they allow quacks to operate, these are problems that can lead to building collapse.
Developers themselves, when they want to cut corners, they tend to have a different ratio of whatever mix so that they can save some cost. So the developers themselves have a problem.
The issue of the materials beings used too is of concern. We just had this  Standards  Organization of Nigeria conference where they brought the issue of cement and it was quite enlightening because a lot of people are ignorant of  the types of cement that we have. Also the age of the structure matters, there are some structures that have lasted for 30-40 years or even 100 years. They were built when Nigeria became independent and our maintenance culture is very bad. You can see a storey building having a crack and we neglect or take it for granted.
When you talk about punishing people, you ask which people? Is it when the building is being constructed and it collapses? Is it a building that has been occupied for 100 years that has collapsed? For stance, what happened in the case of synagogue building collapse in Lagos, who is responsible?
If you have a two-storey building and you make it six, was the foundation in the first place made for that six?  Who gave that approval?  Have they undertaken integrity test of the structure? If therefore, after investigations, any professional is at fault, then the regulatory body of that professional must bring that person to book. If it is the developer that is responsible, his CofO should be withdrawn because he is not qualified to build. If it is a government staff then his credentials must be investigated and if he is found to have got incentives then he must be punished for it. And if it is the material manufacturers that supplied materials that are defective they should be reported to Standards Organizations of Nigeria so that they can deal with that situation.

How do we pinpoint the particular person in the line of professionals involved in a building that collapses?
By the time you go to the records, you will know from the design itself. Is the design itself defective? If the design is defective then the architect should be held responsible If it’s the engineering work, then the person that did the engineering should be the one to be held responsible. The materials that were used, if not of good grade then the manufacturer should be held responsible. Was it lack of monitoring and the artisans were allowed to do just what they liked? The person that supervised them should be held responsible and so on.

Who is to prosecute?
If life is lost, it now goes beyond the professionals. It will be a legal issue. The police will now pick it up and then follow the due process.