LASBCA Admonishes Association Of Real Estate Developers, Seeks Partnership Against Incessant Building Collapse

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Friday, March 5th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA) has appealed to the Association of Real Estate Developers of Lagos State (AREDOLS), to obey construction guidelines in order to make buildings safe for habitation in the state.

A statement by LABSCA spokesman, Mr Gbadeyan Abdulraheem said the agency’s General Manager Mr Gbolahan Oki made the appeal on Thursday during the association’s familiarisation visit to LABSCA office in Ikeja GRA.

Oki said LABSCA would partner with the developers towards ending the recurring incidence of building collapse in Lagos State.

He said that the services of developers would be needed to checkmate the menace of building collapse in the state.

Oki said due to the rising spate of building collapse, it had become necessary to engage all stakeholders in the construction industry to unravel the causes, remedies and how best to prevent it.

He advised AREDOLS members to always uphold high ethical standards and adopt best practices to “maintain structural integrity of buildings above monetary reward to prevent loss of lives and properties”.

He added that durable construction was achievable if the designed structure maintained the structural integrity to ensure that the building does not collapse.

He said that collapse usually occurs when site workers compromise materials standards and quality, and appealed to them not to cut corners in a bid to satisfy their clients.

Oki advised the developers to get requisite building permits and approvals before embarking on projects, adding that, the agency would henceforth arrest erring site workers who refused to comply with the state’s directives and laws for safe, secure and habitable building in the state.

The General Manager urged members of the association to see themselves as ambassadors of the state to prevent building collapse within.

He enjoined them to build according to approvals granted by the state government, reject any pressure to work on construction sites without building permit and ensure that their members hired the services of professionals before accepting offers to work on any project.

Responding, the Chairman of the association, Chief Lawal Oluwa said that AREDOLS members had a track record of constructing durable houses which had withstood the test of time with no single record of building collapse.

Oluwa stressed that that Nigeria got things wrong when contractors dumped indigenous Bricklayers and began to hire the services of Ghanaians and Beninese willing to do and take anything to make ends meet.

The meeting was attended by Mr Saheed Lawal, Head, Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Authority, LABSCA Board Secretary, Mr Kunle Odubiyi, directors and senior management team from LABSCA and other sister agencies. (NAN)