By Felix Khanoba
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has identified critical factors contributing to the alarming frequency of building collapses across the country.
According to the Director General and Chief Executive of SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, investigations have revealed that poor structural designs, quackery, lack of professionalism, and inadequate or absent soil testing are among the primary causes of these tragic incidents.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Public Relations, SON, Mrs. Foluso A. Bolaji, Dr. Okeke highlighted additional causes, including poor construction practices, unauthorized construction, improper demolition procedures, lack of maintenance, negligence, the use of substandard materials such as steel reinforcement bars, and poor drainage systems around affected buildings.
Dr. Okeke emphasized the urgent need for stricter regulations and enhanced collaboration among industry stakeholders to address these construction failures.
He called for a comprehensive approach to prevent future building collapses and to ensure the safety and integrity of structures nationwide.
The SON boss underscored the importance of adherence to established Specifications and Codes of Practice by regulators and service providers in the construction sector.
Such compliance, he noted, is crucial for restoring public confidence in the Nigerian building industry.
As part of its efforts to combat this issue, Dr Okeke said that SON has developed 168 Standards and Codes of Practice for the building and construction industry since 2004.
These include standards such as the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) 117: 2004 for Steel Bars for the Reinforcement of Concrete, and the NIS 499: 2004 for Iron and Steel, among others.
In addition, the SON boss said the Organisation has established regulatory powers established in the SON Act to regulate locally manufactured products through its Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programe (MANCAP) and its pre-shipment verification of conformity to standards for imported goods through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP).
Other initiatives according to him includes the Product Authentication Mark (PAM) which gives the Consumer the powers to verify the authenticity of a product before purchase and the setting up of the SON’s task force Special Intervention to Standardize Steel Reinforcement Bars of where stakeholders in the sector, were engaged and a full-scale nationwide enforcement in factories and marketplaces was undertaken and as a result culpable dealers were sanctioned in line with the provisions of the SON Act No.14 2015.
While assuring the public that the responsibility of attaining a safe environment through standardization and quality assurance are unending, he however assured of the Organization’s resolve to continue to collaborate with other sector regulators, including the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Raw Materials, Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the Ministry of Works and other developments agencies at both the state and federal levels
