Regulation adherence is essential in preventing building collapse in the country, according to State House of Assembly Speaker and expert on building collapse, Mudashiru Obasa.
According to The Punch, speaking at a recent event held by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild in Lagos, he said the laws and regulations should be viewed as instruments of guidance rather than having been created in a vacuum.
The speaker of the Lagos Assembly stated that if rules are properly followed, building collapse incidents will decrease or even disappear entirely in the state.
“Lagos State continues to do everything it can to curb the threat of building collapse, which is primarily caused by industry stakeholders cutting corners,” he stated.
“If stakeholders fully abide by the laws and regulations, we would all be relieved knowing that one of the social concerns has been overcome. That should be the approach taken, not for certain aspects to cause issues for the state and its citizens before turning around to suggest that the government is being callous when enforcing these laws, particularly when it comes to demolishing structures that were built in violation of the law.
He pointed out that the built industry must work effectively as a team if stakeholders are serious about putting an end to the threat of building collapse.
The Lagos State 2010 Urban and Regional Planning Law and its accompanying Planning and Building Regulations of 2019 provided the groundwork for the fight against the threat of building collapse, according to the Coordinator of the Kosofe BCPG Cell, Soji Adeniji.
The guild has been working with the Lagos State Government and its authorities to support monitoring and discovering the violators in the built environment, according to the Chairman of BCPG Lagos Chapter, Joseph Akande.
According to him, “As professionals in the built industry, we will continue to be at the forefront of solution-based discussions on issues that affect our building industry in Lagos State.”
