A professor of Civil Engineering, Joseph Afolayan, has cited use of inferior materials, sharp practices, use of unqualified manpower in very significant building projects and absence of codes of engineering properties of building materials as major causes of building collapse in the country.

Speaking on The Tower of Babel: the Secret of the Birth and But of Structural Integrity at the 67th inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Afolayan, a Structural Engineer, explained that engineering property of the commonly used construction materials, especially for concreting in Nigeria, grossly fell below the minimum standard.

Afolayan said: “In spite of the shortfall, unqualified skills are employed to handle construction projects at various levels leading to poor quality control.”

Professor Afolayan, who dwelt largely on the risk factors associated with building constructions, disclosed that “apart from poor material quality and very poor workmanship, the effects of environmental conditions on structures were worrisome, especially at the coastal regions of the country.”