Enugu Building Collapse Kills 1 as Experts Blame Poor Construction

(Site of the Collapsed Building. Photo by Punch News)

A four-story building collapsed in Enugu on Sunday, leaving one person d£ad and another critically injured with several others hospitalized.

On Monday, leaders from Nigeria's building and urban planning institutes visited the site for a forensic assessment.

What they found was a familiar tragedy: severe carelessness, missing regulatory rules and poor construction standards.

A top town planner said the collapse was caused by gross negligence.

The material mixture was completely inadequate and site engineers failed in their duties.

A building institute official noted that structural problems start long before concrete is poured.

Basic quality checks, health and safety planning and construction management were completely missing.

Experts pointed to a deeper problem: Enugu State is still using an unapproved, outdated planning framework from 1979, over four decades old.

They urged the governor to adopt the 1992 Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Law and the 2006 National Building Code.

This would allow regulatory bodies to ensure only certified professionals like architects, structural engineers and registered builders supervise construction.

Attention shifted to the twin building standing right beside the collapsed structure.

Experts warned that the violent shockwave from Sunday's collapse may have damaged it.

Full integrity tests must be done before anyone can say it is safe.

The development authority had confirmed that while the developer got structural approvals, inspections showed serious deviations from approved plans and unmonitored changes during construction.

The authority sealed the area and promised to prosecute anyone found breaking regulations.

Experts said post-disaster meetings are no longer enough.

Without immediately adopting modern planning laws and enforcing building codes, Enugu will keep repeating this tragic cycle.