As Nigeria continues to witness frequent cases of building collapse, a University of Ibadan-trained structural engineer, Michael Odelola, has raised the alarm, warning that the crisis has gone beyond a technical problem.

According to a statement to The PUNCH, he said the spate of building collapses is now a national security issue.

“The truth is simple. If we get foundation design and connection detailing right, we will reduce failure. If we embrace advanced materials like ultra-high-performance concrete where appropriate, we will build structures that last longer and perform better under load, under weather, and under stress,” he said.

He advocated the use of UHPC to address the menace of building collapse, maintaining that UHPC is not normal block-and-cement concrete but a special type of concrete with very high strength, high durability, and better performance in tough conditions. “It helps engineers build bridges and foundations faster and safer. It is designed to solve the weaknesses we see in conventional concrete: durability, degradation, and long-term performance. UHPC can save a project,” he stated.

Odelola, who received a fully funded PhD offer from Florida International University, said UHPC may look costly at first, but he argued that the long-term savings of fewer failures, less maintenance, and faster delivery on site make it worth it, especially for public infrastructure.

“People like to say, ‘Nigeria is different. The same science we are using in Florida can be adapted to the Nigerian environment. My hope is to bring that knowledge back into our system through collaboration, training, or code development,” he said.

His colleagues at FIU say his story should be studied by young Nigerian engineers who still believe serious research “is only for ‘oyinbo’.

“When you see a young Nigerian scholar doing work that is already influencing state-level standards, you start to understand: this is how nations develop. One engineer at a time,” they said.

At FIU, his main work is on pile splicing for deep foundations. Piles are long structural members driven deep into the ground to carry the load of bridges, piers and high-rise structures. Sometimes a single pile is not long enough, so contractors join two pile pieces together. That process is called splicing. If the splice is weak, the whole foundation can fail.