Substandard materials responsible for Jos school building collapse, says institute

The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) says the Saint Academy school building in Jos was “distressed”.

Speaking on Tuesday during a news conference in Plateau state, Samson Duna, director-general of NBRRI, said the institute constituted a committee to investigate the collapse.

Last week, the two-storey structure collapsed as students wrote their third term examinations.

The Plateau state government said the death toll from the incident was 22, adding that about 132 students sustained injuries.

Duna said the committee was headed by Fredrick Job of the University of Jos and was approved by Uche Nnaji, minister of innovation, science, and technology.

He said investigation into the incident revealed that substandard materials were used for the construction.

“The committee discovered that the quantity of concrete was in doubt because there was no bond between the concrete and the steel reinforcement,” NAN quoted Duna as saying.

“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 the preliminary findings were based on interviews conducted with eyewitnesses and experts.

He added that the outcome of the investigation would be made public to forestall a recurrence.

The director-general assured Nigerians of the institute’s commitment to ensuring that the perpetrators are apprehended.