Building collapse: Govt., BCPG seek collaboration on solution to challenge

Desirous to arrest the rising incidence of building collapses in the country, Lagos State Government and the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), are partnering to find solutions to the challenge.
In this regard, the two bodies had, at the recently held Annual General Meeting in Lagos, called for contributions and ideas from professionals and the general public to frontally arrest the disturbing trend from escalating further.
Speaking at the event, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Abiola Anifowoshe said professionals’ contributions and ideas from residents will be further explored to stem the rising incidence of building collapse in Lagos State.
Anifowoshe explained that Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, placed a high premium on regulatory authorities’ collaboration with other stakeholders. This, he said, is why the administration welcomes suggestions, technical and professional advice towards curbing the menace. With this, according to him, the hydra-headed problem of building collapse in the state will be checked.
He further said the state was ready to provide necessary assistance in tandem with constructive engagement and thehigh point of planning inclusion as contained in the state’s urban governance.
According to the host and BCPG President, Mr. Kunle Awobodu, one of the major problems of structure collapses is the total disregard and willful violation of the law. Awobodu, who is worried about the development, explained that in an organised society where the laws of the land are strictly adhered to, building collapse is considered an aberration.
He said, “A person, who cheats on the recommended setbacks is aware that he has created problems of insufficient ventilation, lighting, parking space, privacy and protection from fire incident in the adjoining or neighboring buildings. The two-storyed building that collapsed at No. 68, Herbert Macaulay Way, Ebute Meta, in Lagos, on August 31, 2017, affected the four-storeyed building on No. 66, simply because No. 66 reduced the setback specified by the building regulations.”
The BCPG President regretted that while building law provides for minimal airspace of three metres between a building and its fence at the sides and the rear, including six metres in front, sadly, according to him, most developments are in conflict with this specification.
“This type of situation,” he said, “is an indication that the developer of such buildings, including the supervisors, must have disobeyed many other specifications in the building construction process.”
According to him: “Such a person, who could have taken the risk of leaving a permanent evidence of disregard for setback regulations, will not hesitate to disobey other specifications such as concrete mix ratio and steel reinforcement, bar spacing that will remain hidden after construction. Obvious compromise on setbacks in many locations in our society heightens our suspicion and our fears that quality of several buildings has all along been compromised.”