NIGERIAN HOUSING SECTOR AND THE PROBLEM OF PERSISTENT BUILDING COLLAPSE

Building collapse most often is a man-made disaster in Nigeria. It occurs mainly due to lack of adherence to stipulated building code, ineffective town planning laws as well as frequent use of substandard building materials by builders. The incidents of building collapse in different parts of urban centres in Nigeria have assumed a frightening dimension in the last few years. This is because the after-effects of it has always been gruesome and unfortunate both in loss of valuable properties and precious human lives. And this has become a common feature both in the print and electronic media. The paper is an attempt to assess the persistent problem of building collapse in Nigeria's urban centres in recent years. The paper therefore identifies some possible causes of building collapse in the country to include; inadequate building regulatory frame work, prevalence of corrupt practices among government officials saddled with the responsibility for approving building plans, the preponderance of quacks in the building industry as well as ignorance on the part of many prospective house-owners in the use of sub-standard building materials among others. The paper equally examines some of the consequences associated with building collapse in the country. These include; the untimely death of many persons and their families, the homelessness of many persons in different parts of the country; it has also rendered many people jobless as well as destroyed many businesses owned by people among others. The paper recommends the following measures that could help to minimize or eradicate the persistent problem of building collapse in the country. These amongst others include; effective town planning and building control in the country, the out-right ban in importation of sub-standard building materials in the country.