NewStats: 3,259,451 , 8,170,143 topics. Date: Sunday, 25 May 2025 at 04:29 AM 1f235i

Mood11:
Building with substandard materials. All because of greed.

It might not really be a substandard material but greed.
Most building materials ( cement, iron rods, gravel,etc ) sold in Nigeria meet approved quality standard, but the problem is from contractors who manage these materials to make more gain

Everyone is shouting Greed, Greed, Greed, substandard materials, Substandard materials. Hmnn, my naive eyes is showing me overweight of decking. The decking is simply too thick! check it out. I believe the contractor has 'f'ola je iyo' That decking appears to be almost 12inches thick!

hisgrace090:



Reducing the prices of cement and iron rod is the solution for now.

The masses are in seriouse need of accommodation as prices of building materials keeps increasing daily.

Its either they build for the masses or reduce the cost of building.

therefore I blame dangote on this one

Movicq:
Eyahhhh

Purpose of this meme when a tragedy is what happened here....? I tried to decide, but couldn't

Godyke:


No no no. Blocks doesn't in anyway act as reinforcement to a building, even if they give way the structure under or above it is still expected to stand. Their sole purpose is to act as a fortified partitioning and coverings. The main strength of building especially storey building is the, foundation type and depth, steel reinforcements and the concrete casting.

bros u nail it dat is d correct answer, block is just for partitioning, u must be an ACHITECT, Civil Eng, quantitysurveyor or Builder. to know ppl wey get experience no dey hard. dat is why u can easily select d best applicant during an interview. many ppl just dey assume.

MobilityExpress:
The frequent building collapses in Lagos is because the building blocks industry is unregulated. Every Tom Dick and Harry is making blocks however they want, nobody is regulating or monitoring what they mix and in what proportion they mix to mould blocks, which are being sold to builders. Some of these block makers cut costs or use wrong cement or contaminated sand (too many impurities that reduce quality of adhesion) or mould substandard blocks and that's why you're having building collapses all over. The LASG should as a matter of urgency implement regulations and monitoring to all block moulders, so as to have uniformity of quality. Many building blocks being sold today are substandard. Under 2 months, you can already see cracks in the surfaces of buildings. That's why building collapses are now frequent.

The main structural elements of buildings are columns and beams. How many bungalows have you seen collapse even though it's the same 'sub standard blocks' that are being used to build them? The problem of building collapse is most times as a result of improper reinforcement of beams or columns, poor concrete mix, inadequate foundation base or poor designs by the engineer which the contractor/ builder fully relies on and not making proper checks, thinking the design is perfect. Almost all the time the problem is not blocks bro.

doctorgold:


Your emphasis on blocks as major cause of collapse is indeed interesting, laughable, suspicious but overall.. not true. Be informed that blocks dont usually serve as structural especially in multi storey buildings. They, most times serve as partition . Which explains why there are different sizes of blocks. It also explains why we have buildings whose fabric are made of glass and other materials. Blocks pay very minute role in structural stability.
Issues such as substandard materials especially reinforcement rods, poor concrete mix ratios, poor supervision, wrong structural calculations, overloading are culprits in building collapses.
It is therefore important to state that our monitoring agencies need to do more in of ensuring quality rather than their usual attitude of collecting bribes and turning blind eyes to poor construction processes.

CORRECT, too much experience sir, pls, wot is d maximum lenght of a cantiler for a story building?

zedman1:
The main structural elements of buildings are columns and beams. How many bungalows have you seen collapse even though it's the same 'sub standard blocks' that are being used to build them? The problem of building collapse is most times as a result of improper reinforcement of beams or columns, poor concrete mix, inadequate foundation base or poor designs by the engineer which the contractor/ builder fully relies on and not making proper checks, thinking the design is perfect. Almost all the time the problem is not blocks bro.

GOOD ONE. Experience man

HomoDroid:
Everyone is shouting Greed, Greed, Greed, substandard materials, Substandard materials. Hmnn, my naive eyes is showing me overweight of decking. The decking is simply too thick! check it out. I believe the contractor has 'f'ola je iyo' That decking appears to be almost 12inches thick!

No bro, what you're seeing there isn't the slab or 'decking' as you put it. Its the beam. The slab is way less thick, if you were allowed to look under you'll discover a hollow, that's the soffit of the slab and from what I'm seeing its just about the normal 6 inch.

Lagosfinder:
Lagos government need to act fast on this before Lagos is associated with building collapse

Like seriously

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOiy8WUjmCY

Two storey building collapses in Lagos

That's why when some clients say that they want me to bring my construction quotes down, I just laugh. They begin to say how Engineer Lagbaja and Engr Ojukwu can build it extremely cheap. Well, I always tell them to give it to them as I cannot compromise building standards because of money. Safety is always paramount

doctorgold:

Your emphasis on blocks as major cause of collapse is indeed interesting, laughable, suspicious but overall.. not true. Be informed that blocks dont usually serve as structural especially in multi storey buildings. They, most times serve as partition . Which explains why there are different sizes of blocks. It also explains why we have buildings whose fabric are made of glass and other materials. Blocks pay very minute role in structural stability.
Issues such as substandard materials especially reinforcement rods, poor concrete mix ratios, poor supervision, wrong structural calculations, overloading are culprits in building collapses.
It is therefore important to state that our monitoring agencies need to do more in of ensuring quality rather than their usual attitude of collecting bribes and turning blind eyes to poor construction processes.

Too much religious sentiments prevent people from thinking and working to engage with their public servants who are in charge of the monitoring agencies.
What stops us from seeing the bigger picture?

EmptyCoconutHead:
pdp nearly destroyed this country through out their 16 years of corruption.
we nigerians are saying "Never again"

Is like you have just taken weed?
How is this related to the trending news

Oh my God! What exactly is the cause of this? Building always collapsing, claiming lives

Meanwhile, is your Laptop faulty? Let's fix it for you. Do you need Laptop Chargers/Adapter or Cables? We sell. Check my signature for

bonnyhope:

Is like you have just taken weed?
How is this related to the trending news

His moniker says empty coconut head..and you had to answer him? He probably is obsessed with PDP and didn't read the content and rushed to paste...my anger is, we are talking of loss of lives here

MobilityExpress:
The frequent building collapses in Lagos is because the building blocks industry is unregulated. Every Tom Dick and Harry is making blocks however they want, nobody is regulating or monitoring what they mix and in what proportion they mix to mould blocks, which are being sold to builders. Some of these block makers cut costs or use wrong cement or contaminated sand (too many impurities that reduce quality of adhesion) or mould substandard blocks and that's why you're having building collapses all over. The LASG should as a matter of urgency implement regulations and monitoring to all block moulders, so as to have uniformity of quality. Many building blocks being sold today are substandard. Under 2 months, you can already see cracks in the surfaces of buildings. That's why building collapses are now frequent.

You are right sir,but i also noted that the Ion rod used for d deck cannot be seen.i think there was not enough pillar too on the first floor according d image

noble71:
Some of these Mason's are heartless how can you introduce a cantilever of more than 2 meters with out proper reinforcement.

So your saying its Mason that design building structures now ??

noble71:
Some of these Mason's are heartless how can you introduce a cantilever of more than 2 meters with out proper reinforcement.

.... Nice observation my bro, immediately i zoomed d photo of the collapse structure, that's the first wrong design / construction i sighted. A cantilever projected slab of about 2.5m with tinny cantilever beam of 225mm to transmit a load of a cantilever slab of 2.5m! chai!!!, God have mercy, if you look closer, u wil see dat, one of the cantilever beams is not resting on a column but on the block wall... The masons in here are not to be blamed bcox, they are being told what to do in site and only following instructions from the structural engineers. The cause of the collapse is as a result of wrong design concepts nd inexperienced or unqualified structural engineers errecting the structure.

InvertedHammer:
/
It might not necessarily be substandard materials.
Concrete has a curing time of at least 2 weeks. Lagos hasn't had recorded sunshine for months now. Yet they will start piling up loads on the decking. The result will be the collapse under pressure.

There is a huge difference between construction during dry and rainy season.

/

Must you guys comment?

Concrete gain more strength during wet season through a phenomenon known as curing ( especially wet curing ). When you placed a concrete you keep on providing moisture at the surface of the concrete for 28days, during this period the concrete gain strength by a process known as hydration.

When you build during dry season, you will have to provide this moisture in the form of regular wetting of the slab constantly 24hours for 28days to get the desired result.

Hmmm.... building under construction and collapses. The City is to be blamed. .... questions asked.... persons held responsible... if any fatalities.... held criminally responsible. Who approved the building plan? Who inspected and signed off on the construction? Who was visiting the site and approving there were no violations?Who verified the materials used met the required standard? If the building is an illegal structure.... why didn't the city halt construction..... have the owner prosecuted and the building demolished?

Putting the cart before the horse.... setting up and beefing up Emergency Response but not looking to prevent such emergencies.

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

At first glance i will say it is a design issue.
Looking at the photo, the second floor does not have sufficient pillars considering that it is a multi-storey building. Possibly it's same for every part of the building.
The architect might design something, contractor or client will decide something else to cut cost.
The span between pillars is important.
The cantilever extension is also much considering the poor structural .

What do I know?
My opinion though.

Something needs to be done in this Lagos, with buildings collapsing I think their govt should create a committee to go thru the houses.. Cos no agency seems to be doing Anything..

MobilityExpress:
The frequent building collapses in Lagos is because the building blocks industry is unregulated. Every Tom Dick and Harry is making blocks however they want, nobody is regulating or monitoring what they mix and in what proportion they mix to mould blocks, which are being sold to builders. Some of these block makers cut costs or use wrong cement or contaminated sand (too many impurities that reduce quality of adhesion) or mould substandard blocks and that's why you're having building collapses all over. The LASG should as a matter of urgency implement regulations and monitoring to all block moulders, so as to have uniformity of quality. Many building blocks being sold today are substandard. Under 2 months, you can already see cracks in the surfaces of buildings. That's why building collapses are now frequent.

Building blocks doesn't play a part here because when you are building more than a bungalow you are expected to build a frame structure. Frame in the sense that the blocks don't carry any structural loads but serve as partitions just to divide the space into rooms and functionality.

In a frame structure, the sequence of load distribution follows this pattern, from roof and floor slabs to the beams, from beams to the columns (pillars) and from upper floor columns to the one below, to the foundation footings and finally to the soil beneath the foundation.

The so called sancrete blocks only add to the dead load of the structures and in some cases a lighter partition like wood, polystyrene is used for the internal walls rather than sancrete blocks.

Building fail in Nigeria due poor structural designs, quality control ( site supervision, proper batching of concrete, proper placement, proper use of construction materials etc) and also due to lack or corrupt quality control agencies.

hisgrace090:



Reducing the prices of cement and iron rod is the solution for now.

The masses are in seriouse need of accommodation as prices of building materials keeps increasing daily.

Its either they build for the masses or reduce the cost of building.

Houses for masses in highbrow ikoyi. Masses indeed. It is all evidence of the rot in the Nigerian system where nothing works. Mschew.

A job that needs 20 bags of cement, engineer will say it's 30 bags, he collects the money for 30 bags, go back and buy 12 bags of cement to do the job. Result: few months after, the building comes down. They do the same with Iron rods. Ask for money to buy half inch rods, they go buy three quarter rod to work with.

Maj196:
Naija na so so bad news full everywhere

Devil lead this country

noble71:
Some of these Mason's are heartless how can you introduce a cantilever of more than 2 meters with out proper reinforcement.

Mason u said! You the building of two storey building not a bungalow is left at the discretion of a Mason, I dont get it.

MobilityExpress:
The frequent building collapses in Lagos is because the building blocks industry is unregulated. Every Tom Dick and Harry is making blocks however they want, nobody is regulating or monitoring what they mix and in what proportion they mix to mould blocks, which are being sold to builders. Some of these block makers cut costs or use wrong cement or contaminated sand (too many impurities that reduce quality of adhesion) or mould substandard blocks and that's why you're having building collapses all over. The LASG should as a matter of urgency implement regulations and monitoring to all block moulders, so as to have uniformity of quality. Many building blocks being sold today are substandard. Under 2 months, you can already see cracks in the surfaces of buildings. That's why building collapses are now frequent.

Building blocks are not reason for building collapse. The pillars, foundation, decking are more responsible. These are the structures that carry the load.

Godyke:
I totally disagree with the theory that this building collapsed as result of substandard materials. Builders and owners of buildings in Ikoyi cannot stoop so low, they are big boys. That building may have collapsed due to structural defect as result of impossible design. Part of the building decking may have been designed without pillar. I am judging from the angle from which I am seeing the picture.

Was the building plan approved? Who approved it? The approving authorities should have noticed that and withhold approval.

tonididdy:


little mistakes... engineer is prolly on the run now.

Little mistakes? I don't think so. I'm looking out at a construction site right now.

The foundation slab was completed on Saturday. On Monday, yes Monday, the setting of blocks began. Right now, the iron-bender is at work on the lintels.

Wondering what happened to the rule about leaving slabs to cure for 28 days.
I'm waiting to see how long the decking of the top floors will be allowed to cure.

Sometimes, I feel these incidents occur because the rules for construction are not obeyed even though standard materials are utilized.

MobilityExpress:
The frequent building collapses in Lagos is because the building blocks industry is unregulated. Every Tom Dick and Harry is making blocks however they want, nobody is regulating or monitoring what they mix and in what proportion they mix to mould blocks, which are being sold to builders. Some of these block makers cut costs or use wrong cement or contaminated sand (too many impurities that reduce quality of adhesion) or mould substandard blocks and that's why you're having building collapses all over. The LASG should as a matter of urgency implement regulations and monitoring to all block moulders, so as to have uniformity of quality. Many building blocks being sold today are substandard. Under 2 months, you can already see cracks in the surfaces of buildings. That's why building collapses are now frequent.

Not entirely true,blocks are not necessarily load bearer.columns are mainly. The main causes of building collapse is maybe one of theses, wrong design and substandard concrete mix or steel reinforcement or all of them. Another cause is the client themselves who are looking for quacks just to cut cost and make a kill in profit.