On April 22, 2023, a terrible incident took place in Sango police barracks, Oyo State where a building collapsed, destroying several cars parked nearby
The incident, which happened at about 2 am, resulted in a state of chaos and panic as people scampered for safety.
Though no life was lost, the incident left many cars damaged, and the residents of the area in shock.
According to sources, the cause of the collapse is tied to the weak foundation of the building, which may have been compounded by the heavy downpour that occurred earlier in the night.
Residents of the barracks claim that the building had been abandoned for a while, and they had made several attempts to inform the relevant authorities about its deteriorating condition, but their efforts seemed to have been in vain.
The Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Oyo State Chapter, has since reacted to the unfortunate incident, calling for a detailed investigation to unravel the root cause of the collapse.
The guild’s chairman, Abiodun Oki, noted that many buildings in the country are not structurally sound, which puts lives and properties at risk.
In his words, Oki said, “This is not the first time we have had a building collapse, and it won’t be the last except professionals in the construction industry are allowed to regulate, and enforce standards from the building design stage to the completion stage.
The Standards Organizations of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Building Roads Research Institute (NBRRI), and Ministry of Works need to be involved in the investigation process to ensure that the cause of the collapse is not swept under the carpet.”
He added that the BCPG has the technical expertise and resources to carry out an in-depth forensic analysis of the collapsed structure to ascertain the cause of the building collapse.
The incident has triggered reactions from human rights activists and non-governmental organizations who have called on the government to take a more proactive approach towards ensuring structural integrity and safety standards of buildings across the country.
With the increasing rate of building collapses in the country, there is a need for stakeholders in the construction sector, including government regulatory agencies and building professionals, to work towards preventing future occurrences.
The government has a significant responsibility to ensure that public buildings, including police barracks, schools, hospitals, and other government-owned buildings, are structurally sound and safe for use.
