The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) has attributed substandard materials and poor construction practices as the causes of the building collapse at Saint Academy in Jos.
Samson Duna, the Director General of NBRRI, made this revelation during a press conference held on Tuesday in Jos.
The collapse occurred last Friday at around 8:30 a.m. at the school situated in the Busa-Buji community of Jos North Local Government Area, resulting in the tragic death of 22 people and causing severe injuries to 132 others.
Duna stated that in response to the incident, NBRRI established a committee chaired by Fredrick Job from the University of Jos to investigate both the immediate and underlying factors contributing to the collapse.
He further mentioned that the committee’s preliminary findings indicate that the collapsed structure was already showing signs of distress prior to the incident.
“The committee discovered that the quantity of concrete was in doubt because there was no bond between the concrete and the steel reinforcement.
“The slab reinforcement anchorage provided was inadequate, and the sizes of the footing (foundation) provided were less than the required number of 1200 mm x 1200 mm,” he said.
Duna said the mandate of the committee, approved by the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was to uncover the causes and identify those responsible for the defect in the structure.
The director general added that the committee’s preliminary report was based on the evidence gathered through interviews with witnesses and experts.
He added that the committee’s further findings would be crucial to averting building collapse in the future.
Duna assured Nigerians that the institute would leave no stone unturned to ensure that those responsible for the collapse of the school building were brought to book.
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