A staggering 604 building collapses have occurred in Nigeria between 1974 and May 30, 2024, with Lagos State bearing the brunt of the disasters, according to a report by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild.
The state accounted for a staggering 57.28% of the total collapses, with over 346 buildings collapsing in the last 50 years.
The report highlights the alarming frequency of building collapses in Nigeria, with Lagos being the most affected state, followed by Anambra, Abuja, and Oyo.
The report stated, “Building collapses in Nigeria have been a significant issue over the years, with Lagos State accounting for 57.28 per cent of recorded incidents. This makes Lagos the most affected state, followed by Anambra with 3.98 per cent, Abuja with 3.65 per cent, and Oyo with 3.48 per cent.
“Interestingly, Taraba, Bayelsa, Gombe, and Yobe States reported their first recorded building collapses in 2022. Furthermore, states such as Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Gombe, Katsina, and Kebbi have each experienced only one recorded building collapse.
“There were no recorded building collapses in 1971, 1975, and 1981. Despite the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Nigeria still recorded 45 building collapses, with Lagos accounting for 18 of these incidents, 40 per cent of the total.”
The report stated that 2022 saw the country’s highest number of building collapses.
It adumbrate, “The year 2022 saw the highest number of building collapses, with 62 incidents nationwide, and Lagos accounted for 20, or 32 per cent. In 2023, there were 52 recorded collapses across the country, with Lagos again leading with 17 incidents, representing 33 per cent. As of 2024, there have been 11 recorded building collapses, with Lagos having 5, Anambra 3, and Kano, Niger, and Plateau having 1 each.
“The first recorded building collapse in Nigeria occurred in October 1974 in Oyo State. This incident involved a multi-storey building that collapsed due to excessive loading, resulting in the death of 27 people. The tallest building collapse happened in Lagos on November 1, 2021, which tragically killed 52 people.”
