Advocate tougher measures as Lagos leads in cases
Experts in the building environment have expressed deep concern over the recurring incidents of building collapse in Lagos State, attributing the crisis to poor regulatory oversight, substandard construction practices, and widespread disregard for planning standards by developers and contractors.
A former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, who spoke, yesterday during the Prof. Leke Oduwaye-Adron Homes Urban Development Dialogue, held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), described the situation as a national embarrassment, citing the data that shows that the state accounts for more than half of all building collapses in Nigeria over the past five decades.
Salako, who delivered a lecture titled “Recurring Building Collapse in Lagos: The Challenge of Regulatory Oversight and Construction Practices,” said that Nigeria had recorded 653 cases of building collapse between 1974 and May 2025, with Lagos alone accounting for over 322 of these incidents. He noted that these failures had resulted in the loss of over 1,600 lives nationwide, with Lagos State recording the highest.
According to him, the causes of these collapses are multi-layered, ranging from poor structural design, the use of substandard materials, inadequate site supervision, and unqualified personnel, among others.
On his part, a professor of Urban and Regional Planning at UNILAG, Prof. Leke Oduwaye, identified weak regulatory oversight, manpower constraints, and poor professional accountability as key drivers of recurring building collapse in Lagos.
RELATEDLY, the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) has called for stricter regulatory measures following the collapse of 659 buildings nationwide.
A former President of the BCPG, Kunle Awobodu, made the call in an interview with newsmen during an inspection of a collapsed three-storey building on Awolowo Way, Ota-Ona area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
A couple reportedly lost two of their three children in the incident and another relative which occurred on May 27. Awobodu said the figures of deaths from building collapses represented reported incidences of collapses between October 1974 and June 2025.
He urged regulatory agencies to respond promptly to alerts from members, artisans, and other professionals in the built environment to address irregularities that could lead to building collapse.
Also speaking, Chairman of the BCPG, Lagos chapter, Joseph Akande, advised developers to always process building plans and obtain statutory documents, which serve as authorisation to commence construction.
