Reinforced concrete is one of the world’s major types of structural frames. In Nigeria, it is by far the most popular. There have been growing concerns over the cost of reinforced concrete structures; both financially, and to the environment. By all accounts, it is desirable to reduce the use of material, wherever possible. Steel is the major structural component of reinforced concrete, so it is especially important to scrutinise its use. Recognising that construction practices vary widely, a case study of a typical building structure in Abuja, Nigeria, has been carried out. The structural calculations and drawings of the as-built structure were obtained and subjected to scrutiny. With the aid of the software, Protastructures 2018, it was found that up to 29% of the steel could be saved with a slightly modified design. The key savings were in slabs, where 10mm reinforcement was found sufficient for most cases; and then in the link in both beams and columns, where 8mm links were found sufficient. It was found that employing extra labour for better quality control is cheaper than the overly conservative design practices currently widespread in Nigeria. Hence, there is a lot of room in Nigeria for more efficient designs, which could save a large amount of material, cost less, be more environmentally friendly, and employ more labour.