Lamentations in Nigeria as substandard building products flood the market.
There have been decries by industry professionals concerning the influx of substandard materials present in the building materials market. This situation intensifies and could lead to more cases of structural failures in the country. The newly brought in substandard materials are mostly prevalent in door handles, electrical cables, iron rods, toilet fittings, and lighting systems. In cases where substandard building materials are used in on a construction site, there is always a case of low durability and other hazardous occurrences for the sites.
Asides its consequences on construction sites, it could also bring about some economic effects by leading to an increased cost for repairs, insurance, and replacement. Iron rods, for example, are used for the purpose of reinforcing the concrete in buildings, for high-rise, and to help the construction bear huge loads. It is also required to make sure that buildings are not vulnerable to fire, moist condition, natural disasters, high temperature, and corrosion. However, when substandard iron rods are used on buildings, they become vulnerable to the aforementioned situations.
Materials should be tested in laboratories before use.
Recently, it has been discovered that a reasonable amount of iron rods in the market do not conform with the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) 117 for steel products. In response to this, the regulatory authority closed down about 13 steel rods manufacturing firms due to their production of substandard products; this was done in 2021, in a bid to curb the menace of the production of substandard building materials that could lead to many unfavorable circumstances.
According to experts, most of the recent cases of building collapse are caused by the use of substandard building materials during construction, and Lagos State, being the busiest construction location in the country, has accounted for the highest cases. The Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC), Linus Asuquo, amidst lamentation, stated that building collapse is caused by the importation of rods that are manufactured from scraps. As a result, he advised that the materials should be analyzed in laboratories before being taken to construction sites.
The REDAN president believes the SON has more faults in the situation.
Also commenting on the situation of substandard building materials, the President of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Aliyu Wamakko, expressed how difficult it is for developers to figure out the difference between substandard and standard materials. He believes that the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) have more faults to bear in the situation, given that if they are doing a good job, there would not be a prominence of substandard products in the market. Regardless, the REDAN president dropped complaints to the SON and warned members to desist from usage of substandard materials to run building projects.
The immediate former president of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Mr. Kunle Awobodu, stated that agencies responsible for the regulation of such materials, like the SON, are likely overpowered by the magnitude of the situation. He further mentioned that the current situation of Nigeria such as weakened naira, enforcement challenges, and ignorance makes the influx of these materials possible. To carry out an effective work concerning this challenge, the SON might have to collaborate with associations like the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG).
SON takes samples from markets for laboratory tests.
In reaction to comments on the regularity of substandard materials in the market, the Head of Public Relations, Standards Organization of Nigeria, (SON), Rilwan Fasina, revealed that the agency, through a task force, is currently ensuring the sanitization of the market against hazardous products, such as iron rods. The body carries out surprise inspections on local iron rod manufacturers and takes samples from markets for laboratory tests. Also, it established a compulsory Conformity Assessment Programme (CAP) for certification of every locally produced product, regulated by the SON, and has organized a joint committee with the NCS to enable its quick integration into NICIS II and to face substandard products imported into the country, at every point of entry.
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Substandard building products usage is so alarming in Nigeria,The rate at which different people produce materials in Nigeria to curb it will be so difficult there are so many block industries just set up in different sites where houses are been built,Are the SON effective no,they are not even a standard organization from my point of view everything thing about them is sub par at all levels they really need to re strategize
The government sector responsible for the inspection of building materials in Nigeria is to blame for this. Why is this not highly monitored compared to the food industry? We suffered plenty lost of lives whenever a building collapsed. We as customers buying this materials are not educated on what to look out for in terms of not buying substandard products. The government should regulate safety on this materials by adequately getting the material tested and labeled correctly with govt seal before being sold.
The influx of substandard materials in construction site is now common nowadays and this is due to the incoming of developer into the system,they mostly use substandard materials so that they can have 400% to 500% gain of the money they used in the construction back.The SON agent are in the port to test the quality of products entering the country but but they wouldn’t do anything because they will bribe them.
The influx of substandard materials in construction site is alarming. The influx is just due to greed of manufacturers at the expense of people’s life and finances. The body responsible for inspecting and ensuring quality product should intensify more effort. Also, construction engineers should perform due diligence to ensure quality.
Substandard of building material should be stop people life is at risk because of some people greed of money is now put people life at risk by not producing the good quality of material. Inspection should be done on all this material in other to ensure how quality the materia is so people life will no be at risk
A standard material should be produce why risking people life by producing substandard material because of their own benefit of income, sector in charge of inspecting building material should be doing a good work in other to stop all substandard material producing
Nigeria has become a laughing stock when it comes to infrastructures. Alot of developers either knowingly or unknowingly use substandard and fake materials to build. Alot of these substandard materials are in market. While the original ones might be too expensive, atleast they can strike a bargain with their suppliers. That’s better than building with materials that will not allow the structure of the building last long.
Inspection agency is to blame. Substandard imported iron rods have caused building collapses, hence additional inspections should be done before importing and using them on construction sites.
Nigeria infrastructure is really bad lot of knowingly buy this fake material for there gain and also the inspection agency are to be also blamed I guess because they’re to oversee everything before they go in the market
The particular issue is getting worse in Naija, and it can result in an increased number of structural collapses around the country.
This is the hight of corruption we are talking about in this country, risking people’s lives for peanuts that will enter your pocket. The SON are claiming that they couldn’t resist pressure and that is why the allowed substandard building materials both imported and locally made to be used for building jeopardizeing so many people’s lives. I am very sure that we now have so many substandard materials which are not only in building materials alone. Government should please swing into action and correct this anomaly otherwise we will experience more collapsing building.
The standard organization of Nigeria are not doing their Job right. They shouldn’t put the life of people at risk because of their incompetence. A lot of people have died as a result of collapsing of building and it’s really disheartening
Why risk such a thing at the expense of people’s lives?
Nigeria has been known as a place that accommodates substandard materials because the concerned bodies are overlooking it.
The rate at which buildings are collapsing this day is alarming.
SON should hold on to its aim to save lives.
The use of sub standard building materials is also as a result of greed. Most engineers are being paid heavily for contracts but still end up using substandard materials. But since there are no one agencies double checking the materials being used, people tend to use anything they want which is at the risk of others.
Substandard materials present in the building materials market is not proper at all, what is government doing at it. This country self, a lot has gone wrong. We need to check things properly before buying them
There are too many substandard things in the market now this days which are the results of inflation, corruption, terrorist activities and the killer Fulani herdsmen attacks on farmers. We already have a compromised SON who to bow to an uncontrolled pressure and allowed substandard materials to flood the Nigerian market at the expense of Nigerians’ lives. So lives should be put at risk for some kind of pressure. Please,we need to government to carryout the overhauling of the SON organization who should be responsible for the checking of the standard of any locally made or imported materials.
A standard material should be produce why risking people life by
using substandard and fake materials to build?
The body responsible for inspecting and ensuring quality product should intensify more effort.
Also the government should regulate safety on this materials by adequately getting the material tested and labeled correctly with government seal before being sold.
This issue of substandard material is not entirely SON fault most people will like to go for substandard building materials because it’s cheaper without considering the effect it will have in the future. People really need to stop being petty and just try as much as possible to buy standard building materials for their own safety and the safety of everyone aground them.
If the organization in charge of the quality testing of building materials are doing their job properly, this substandard materials would not have been found in the market at all. But since nobody is checking the quality , the sellers just get to sell whatever they want knowing they won’t be caught or sanctioned for that
This is very bad, and it is a significant cause of houses that collapse in this country because when people use substandard equipment to build homes, they won’t be solid and durable.
When low-quality building materials are employed on a building project, there is always the possibility of low longevity as well as other harmful events for the buildings.
This substandard building material issue can be caused by Greediness on the part of the suppliers of the goods. Some of them will receive money for particular equipment quality, but they will provide something lesser to gain more, which is wickedness.
Some house owners and developers are also at fault for the rate of the use of substandard materials for building because they are selfish and won’t want to drop enough money on quality products, they will instead go for something cheaper, and they don’t know it won’t last.
It is not advisable to use items of a lower quality because this could have some repercussions for the economy in the form of extra costs associated with repairing the product in the long term if it becomes damaged.
When iron rods of substandard quality are used to construct buildings, those structures become more susceptible to being damaged by fire and other types of natural disasters, such as floods.
manufacturing of poor building materials, which could lead to a variety of unpleasant scenarios and should be regulated as a result.