Don Blames Building Collapse on Poor Communication Among Stakeholders

The Dean, School of Environmental Studies, Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Adesina Aladeloba, has identified poor communication and weak collaboration among construction stakeholders as major causes of recurring building collapses in Nigeria.

Delivering the institution’s 19th inaugural lecture titled “Communication: Why the Tower Remained Abandoned Heretofore” at Yusuf Grillo Hall, Aladeloba said fragmented processes and conflicting interests in the construction industry often lead to failure.

Drawing from the biblical Tower of Babel, he likened poor communication to the confusion that halts progress, stressing that beyond cost, time, and quality, communication breakdowns remain the silent cause of project collapse.

“Effective communication is not merely message exchange but selecting the right tools, channels, and tone to build understanding,” he explained.

He classified communication as complete, incomplete, or absent arguing that lack of feedback, wrong channels, and unclear messages often derail construction efforts. Aladeloba proposed practical reforms, digital innovations, and the adoption of his software, Buildcom (NWAVE), to improve project coordination and reduce costly errors.

He also urged curriculum reform to include communication training and closer collaboration between academia and industry. Warning against “digital colonisation,” he advocated reliance on local technologies and predictive communication models.

YABATECH Rector, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, commended the lecture, emphasizing that communication, often overlooked, is as crucial as cost, quality, and time in determining project success.

“Communication is the lifeblood of every successful project,” Aladeloba warned. “Without it, even the best designs will fail.”