RESIDENTIAL BUILDING COLLAPSE IN NIGERIA: CAUSES, EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS

ABSTRACT: This study was carried out on the residential building collapse in Nigeria: causes, effects and solutions. To achieve this 3 research questions were formulated.  The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprise 352 contractors in Imo state. In determining the sample size, the researcher randomly selected 50 contractors while 50 respondents were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables and percentage. The result of the findings reveals that; Collapse of buildings leads to death and loss of properties in Nigeria, Incompetence of contractors is a major reason to building collapse, Quality of building materials has a lo do to with the collapse of buildings, Cost of building materials contribute to building collapse in Nigeria. The paper recommends that Proper planning, supervision and monitoring of construction activities should be institutionalized by policy makers to ensure that all buildings are constructed according to design, specifications and planning regulations; Professionals in the building industry should maintain their integrity and professional ethics and work in accordance to standard practice procedures laid down by the standard form of building contracts especially when they play in the hands of ignorant clients; Urban or Town development agencies at various levels of government (commission, Board, Authority) should enforce control of building works in their localities as laid down in urban and regional planning decree 88, of 1992 and as in section 13 of National Building Code 2006; There is need to organize periodic public awareness campaign through electronic and print media to sensitize the public on advantages of using professionals as the way of realizing safe buildings; Standard organization of Nigeria should be vigilant to ensure that building materials imported into the country conforms to standard requirements.