The Nigerian Institute of Building has said it might take legal action against the Lagos State Government to compel it to fully implement law against building collapse.
The Lagos chapter of the Institute disclosed this at a press conference themed “Building Surveying Practice, Charting a New Course in Building Post Construction Services” to announce the 4th edition of its builders’ business workshop, in Lagos.
The Honorary Secretary of the association, Abiodun Ogundare, said despite various strong laws and regulations, buildings were still collapsing in the state.
“Several efforts of the institute to curb the menace are not yielding desired results because of impunity caused by inadequate enforcement by government officials. Maybe from here, we will start taking the government itself to court, so that the menace of collapse, a general concern, will put a stop to it,” he said.
He expressed hope that the workshop would be a tool to curb collapse in the country, adding that NIOB was exploring building surveying practice as another measure to help government and other stakeholders regularly check and know the structural stability of buildings.
In the same vein, the immediate past Chairman of the association, Sunday Wusu, said the revised 2019 Lagos State Building Control Agency regulation had enough sanctions that were not being enforced.
Wusu said, “A fine of N500,000 or imprisonment is stipulated in the regulation for any site that does not have a builder supervising its project. Since this revised LABSCA regulation 2019 has been put forth, no person has been found wanting.”
He noted that NIOB was creating awareness to ensure Lagos enshrined the building survey practice into law.
He added,” Although the government issues certificates of fitness for habitation, such buildings degenerate due to age, hence, the need for periodic surveys to determine structural stability. Over time, materials used for construction should be reassessed to know their structural integrity to assist owners know the type of maintenance to carry out,” he said.
More so, the Lagos chapter Chairman of NIOB, Lucky Isename, said construction methods were a major cause of building collapse, noting that the association was canvassing the right procedures.
According to him, building surveying was a new sector coming up in Nigeria, where the fitness of houses can be determined through tests.
He said, “NIOB carried out a survey on why old buildings in Badagry were still standing strong after about 100 years while new ones under construction were collapsing. The result has been submitted to the government with recommendations for safer durable construction.”
