24th January, 2022
Oniru of Iru Land, Oba Gbolahan Lawal, has called for collaboration with the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) to curb the rising spate of building collapse on the Lekki axis, Lagos State.
Lawal made the call in Lagos on Monday when the newly elected executives of the Lagos State Chapter of the Guild paid a courtesy visit to his palace.
The traditional ruler said collaboration with the BCPG would checkmate construction infractions on the axis.
The Oniru who listed the team of built environment professionals who managed the Oniru Family Estate, measuring about 230 hectares with over 1,000 houses, urged the Guild to work with the team.
He said his experience as a former Commissioner for Housing in Lagos came to bear in his desire for partnership with the BCPG.
He recalled his robust working relationship with Mr. Kunle Awobodu, the Founder/Pioneer President of the BCPG, training artisans and carrying out other innovative schemes that yielded positive results.
The traditional ruler mentioned various initiatives and collaboration with relevant agencies of the state government toward enforcement of building regulations in the Oniru Estate as well as infrastructure development drive in the area.
Awobodu who led the BCPG delegation, listed building collapse that caused national embarrassment including the 21 storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, close to the palace which occurred, in November 2021.
“If a house is well built, there is no fear of emergency; anticipating whether there will be collapse or not, so, people will not suffer in their sleep.
“We were trained in building construction. If we are well trained, then should Nigerians be facing this perennial disaster that has damaged our image across the world?” he asked.
Awobodu called for collaboration of the Oniru and other traditional rulers on the axis to be able to avert the danger of future building collapse.
He appealed to the traditional ruler to speak with the King of Ikate Elegushi, Oba Saheed Elegushi and others to adopt measures against quacks breeding infractions.
“From this area to Lekki there are many developers and our experience with them, I will quickly share with Kabiyesi, so that Kabiyesi Elegushi and the others will now look at how they can work with us.
“The developers here, some of them were formerly traders at Alaba who are now into construction.
“In this axis, we really need to work with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and professionals like BCPG to see how we can reduce the havoc these people are creating,” he said.
Awobodu cited the example of how collaboration with a traditional ruler in Yaba in the past was able to curb building collapse on that axis.
The Chairman of the Lagos Chapter of BCPG, Col. Olajide Olayinka Retired, said plans for Dangote to go into block-making to regulate issues of mixing ratio should be complemented with the engagement of professional builders on sites.
Olayinka said sometimes, developers did not use the survey plans approved for the actual construction, hence, the need for supervision by professionals.
He said that project boards must give accurate information on professionals working on the projects with their contacts listed in line with global standards to check infractions.