Nigeria Loses N4.6trn to Building Collapse and Fire Incidents in Four Years. Report
Nigeria has lost an estimated N4.6 trillion to building collapses and fire incidents between 2022 and 2025, according to a report cited by Daily Trust.
The figure represents approximately N1.15 trillion in annual losses from destroyed goods, properties and business assets.
The President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CIFCFIN), Dr Iliyasu Gashinbaki, disclosed the figures during the induction of the first group of Certified Engineering Failure Forensic Investigation (CEFFI) professionals.
Gashinbaki also referenced a 2026 engineering study that identified 111 verified building collapse incidents across Nigeria between 2015 and 2025.
According to the study, the incidents resulted in 321 deaths and 344 injuries, representing an average of about 32 deaths and 34 injuries annually.
Federal Government figures also indicate that Nigeria has recorded more than 650 building collapses, resulting in over 1,600 deaths since 1974.
Lagos accounts for more than half of the recorded incidents, with major building collapses in 2021, 2022 and 2024 claiming several lives.
Experts have linked the recurring incidents to the use of substandard building materials, poor construction practices, inadequate supervision and attempts to reduce construction costs.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), state ministries of works and local councils are among the institutions responsible for regulating building materials and ensuring compliance with construction standards.
New Initiative to Address Building Collapse
To address the problem, CIFCFIN has partnered with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) to strengthen investigations into engineering failures.
Gashinbaki said the initiative would combine engineering, forensic science, law, regulation and investigation to improve accountability whenever structural failures occur.
He stressed the importance of preserving technical evidence in cases involving suspected negligence, fraud, professional misconduct or deliberate compromises to building safety.
He also urged regulators, contractors, project owners, professional bodies and law enforcement agencies to ensure that building failures are properly investigated and those responsible are held accountable.
Calls for Stronger Building Regulations
Recommendations for preventing future building collapses include stronger penalties for manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and professionals whose negligence contributes to structural failures.
Experts also called for mandatory certification of block manufacturers, regular testing of building materials and stricter checks on imported construction products.
Local councils were encouraged to license and inspect block-making facilities, publish lists of certified producers and withdraw licences from businesses that repeatedly fail to meet required standards.
They further recommended mandatory physical inspections at critical stages of construction, including foundation, lintel and roofing stages.
The introduction of digital building permit platforms that make inspection records and compliance status publicly accessible was also proposed as a way to improve transparency and reduce corruption.
The experts maintained that stronger enforcement, proper investigations and accountability are necessary to protect lives, property and investments in Nigeria’s built environment.
