The Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, has called for synergy among practitioners to stop incessant building collapse in the state.
Speaking on Thursday at a conference organized by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild, BCPG, Amuwo-Odofin Cell, with the theme “Building Resilient Lagos through Synergy held at Satellite Town, Lagos, the General Manager LASBCA, Gbaye Florence, said each practitioner in the building sector should play it’s professional role during construction rather taking up roles which does not define his or her professionalism.
Gbaye likened the building sector to a surgical room where professionals such as surgeons, nurses, cardiologists and others play their individual roles in order to save a life.
She added that a situation where an architect plays multiple roles such as ground engineer, regulator, surveyor, soil engineer among others which are not his area of professionalism does not augur well for the sector.
The General Manager therefore called on all stakeholders, institutional bodies, community leaders and the regulatory body to collaborate by reporting to the government distressed buildings in their localities for prompt attention adding that the government can not do it alone.
“The government cannot do it alone, so also professionals in the building environment; the architects, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical consultants, town planners, you can’t do it alone. We cannot have a resilient and safer Lagos if we continue to do this alone.
Let the town planners do what they are supposed to do, let an architect consider the functionality from having the brief from the developer and advising them rightly for what to do. The structural engineer will ensure that the structure can safely carry its load, not saying we can manage it. Let us organize. Let us come together and engage professionals,”Gbaye said.
The Coordinator of the Conference, Chibuike Okafor told the gathering that the four storey building which collapsed on Ladipo Street at Satellite Town in June 2026 and claimed several lives heightened was a clear signal that the building sector needs to be repositioned.
“In the face of this tragedy, we realised that the government alone cannot do it all. As a community, we have a role to play. The incident highlighted the importance of working together to protect lives and ensure the safety and well-being of our people. We must therefore make the right decisions and create opportunities for a better and more sustainable future. By taking responsibility as a community, we can contribute meaningfully to building a better Lagos,” he said.
The chairman of the occasion, Arc. Austin Otuoke noted that incessant building collapse in Lagos State is a call to action for collective responsibility among practitioners and create a resilient environment.
“ We have to develop a city we can bequeath to the next generation. Lagos must develop but we must ensure it develops safely. No government can make the state resilient alone, the answer lies in partnership,” he said.