Associate Professor, Philip Lawal, from Joseph Ayo Babalola University, disclosed in 2016 that out of the 64 incidents of building collapse that took place throughout the country from 2007 till date, Lagos State has the highest number.
Since standards, including building materials, are usually overlooked to cut cost, a startup has launched in Nigeria to tackle the menace of fake and substandard building materials.
The startup is buidingmaterials.ng. It has been floated to connect buyers and sellers of building materials. According to their website, buildingmaterials.ng describes itself as “a marketplace for the supply of building and construction materials to contractors and end users. Working closely with some of the biggest manufacturers and distributors in Nigeria, we give an unrivalled service to customers who require building products.”
One thing that is guaranteed here is the standard and quality of the building products or materials you are buying from buildingmaterials.ng. Some of the materials you can get on the platform include construction materials, electrical fittings, paints, plumbing materials, protective and safety accessories and sage&locks among others.
Although buildingmaterials.ng refers itself as Nigeria’s only building materials website, they have veno.com.ng to compete with.
There is no doubt that Nigeria needs more of this marketplace for building materials to guarantee the standard and quality of products users are buying. Hopefully, as more of them spring up, the quacks selling these fake materials will have no choice than to shut down as patronage will decline.
