The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) on Wednesday said it might take legal action to compel the Lagos State Government to fully implement its law against building collapse, to tame the menace.
The Lagos chapter of NIOB made the revelation at a press conference to usher in the 4th Edition of its Builders’ Business Workshop, in Ikeja.
The combined physical/virtual workshop had the theme “Building Surveying Practice, Charting a New Course in Building Post Construction Services”.
The Honorary Secretary, Mr Abiodun Ogundare, said in spite of various strong laws and regulations, buildings were still collapsing in Lagos State.
Ogundare said several efforts of the institute to curb the menace were not yielding desired results because of impunity caused by inadequate enforcement by government officials.
“Maybe from here we will start taking government itself to court, yes, so that the menace of collapse, a general concern, we put a stop to it,” he said.
He expressed hope that the workshop theme, building survey practice and procedures, would be a tool to curb collapse in Lagos and in Nigeria.
He said that the NIOB was exploring building surveying practice as another measure to help government and other stakeholders regularly check and know the structural stability of buildings.
Supporting the call, Mr Sunday Wusu, immidiate past Chairman, said the revised 2019 Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) regulation had enough sanctions 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 said.
He said NIOB was creating awareness to ensure Lagos enshrined the building survey practice into laws.
He said although the government issues certificate of fitness for habitation, such buildings degenerate due to age hence the need for periodic survey 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.
Earlier, the chapter chairman, Mr Lucky Isename, said construction method was a major cause of building collapse hence the push by NIOB for pursuit of right procedures.
He said the workshop was to ensure good building production management.
According to him, Building Surveying is a new sector coming up in Nigeria where fitness of houses can be determined through tests.
He said the 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.
Isename said that the results were submitted to government with recommendations for safer durable construction.
He warned developers against cutting corners when constructing high rise buildings by not following specifications on load and materials, resulting in collapse.
“It is not possible for us to develop a three storey building within six months. It is not possible, but what do we have here now these days, we see people erecting buildings within six months, within eight, nine months, within a year and it is not bungalow.
“Process of building has to be followed, it’s not something that you just wake up because you want to make money and then you put up a three or four storey building within a very short time,” he said.
The Publicity Secretary, Mr Godfrey Godfrey, said building survey would help the institute to collaborate and assist partners which include Standard Organisation of Nigeria and the Lagos State Government.
He said building survey could also help home buyers and intending tenants because the property could be examined for appropriate advice to clients.
He said the measure was needed because collapse had become “a shameful menace” in Lagos State.
The treasurer, Mr Philip Olusesan, said with increased awareness, financial institutions would begin to demand for building survey reports as requirement for giving loans.
Olusesan joined other executives to list benefits of the building survey practice and expressed hope that it would be captured in domestication of the National Building Code in Lagos State. (NAN)
