Comparative Analysis and Factors of Building Collapse in Notable Cities of a nation

The rate of substandard materials and unprofessional services in Nigeria building industry is rapidly creating undesired effect of building collapse and allied problems. This article compared and analyses building collapse cases and how they contrast in the coastal and landlocked cities of Nigeria. The study considered primary and secondary sources of information and condoned Lagos and Port Harcourt for coastal towns while landlocked cities were represented by Enugu and Kaduna. On the other side, the purchase of poor building materials for construction purposes, quacks workmanship, economic, environmental challenges and change of building usage, defective building design, meager foundation and unusual load also heartens building collapse. Natural forces, manipulation of building management, unprofessional building services, building without town planning approval, political connected problems and noncompliance to national building code were the ten determinants of building collapse in both cities. The study further revealed that, between the cities, there was significant variation in the regularity of building collapse cases. The scenario could be attributed to the fact that building construction and management in the swampy environment or cities of Port Harcourt and Lagos are influence by the quack services quacks that utilized sub-standard materials for the development of landed properties in the marsh region while the cities of Kaduna and Enugu naturally endowed with building materials such as gravel and stones beaconed the implementation of approved building designs on the services and management of the quacks. Sequel to the analysis conclusion, the work recommended that professional bodies or built environment contributors such Nigeria institute of architects(NIA),builders, town planers and their respected registration councils should work in synergy with the relevant government agencies and the political class for review and putting into practices all existing building construction and development laws in Nigeria.