The Building Collapse Prevention Guild has decried the frequent cases of building collapse in Lekki, Lagos, without official investigations into their causes, which poses a serious risk of recurrence.
In a statement, the guild pointed out that on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency announced the collapse of a two-storey building under construction at the gated Northern Foreshore Estate, off Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos State, leading to the death of two persons.
It continued. “On the same day, a three-storey building under construction collapsed at Mega Mall Estate, Mobil Road, Inikpa, Ikota, and Lekki, killing two persons, according to the National Emergency Management Agency. Rescue operations with the aid of heavy-duty plant and equipment dismantled and compressed the carcass, thereby destroying part of the evidence required for investigations and, at times, subjecting the survivors to the risk of being squeezed in the rubble. Sophisticated plants and equipment are ideal for rescue operations.
“On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, a four-storey building under construction collapsed at Oriwu Street, Lekki Phase One, resulting in the death of four persons while many people were injured.
Members of the BCPG Lekki Cell, who paid a technical visit to the site, based on observation and information garnered from the grapevine, saw the urgent need to investigate this collapsed building.”
The guild said the hope of getting the government to investigate the collapse might be dim, drawing from the experience of the neighbouring BCPG Iru-Victoria Island Cell when a nine-storey building under construction collapsed at Prince Idowu Abiodun Road, Oniru, Victoria Island Extension on Sunday, September 9, 2022, adding that four persons were killed in the collapse.
The guild stated, “All documented efforts by the BCPG to ensure that the collapsed building was investigated by the government did not yield success. A similar perturbing experience was encountered in that same local government area when a five-storey building under construction collapsed at 4.25 pm on Monday, November 4, 2013, within the premises of Iru-Victoria Island Eti Osa Local Council Development Area along Muri Okunola Street.
“At a meeting held with the then Chairman of the Local Government, Abayomi Daramola, on Wednesday, November 13, 2013, the BCPG leadership advised the government to conduct a post-mortem analysis or investigation to establish the scientific reasons the building collapsed.
“There was also the debate on the punishment to be meted out to the Local Government over the collapsed building. Would the Local Government agree to forfeit its land to the Lagos State Government in accordance with the Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2010, specifically Section 74 (same as in the revised LASBCA Regulations of 2019, Section 25, sub-section 4)? The outcome? There was neither an official investigation nor a forfeiture of land.”
It stated that such inaction on the part of the government could be interpreted as a deliberate protection of culpable individuals.
“It is pertinent to reiterate that unravelling the cause(s) of a building collapse and implementing the recommendations will help prevent future building collapses,” read the statement that further asserted that the law required an investigation of a collapsed building before the land could be confiscated by the government.
The Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law, CAP U2 Lagos State Building Control Agency Regulations, 2019, section 25 sub-section 4, stipulates that, “Any structure that collapses due to negligence on the part of the developer of the property shall be sealed off and forfeited to the State Government after due investigation and publication of the notice of forfeiture in the State Official Gazette.”
It continued, “When a three-storey building under construction at No. 13, Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate, Mende in Maryland, Lagos, collapsed on Thursday, July 25, 2024, causing the death of five or six persons, the BCPG Kosofe Cell, having discovered some anomalies in its preliminary investigation, in an open letter to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, demanded an official investigation. Up till today, there has been no investigation carried out. This creates room for speculations that the developer of the building must be very influential. Does it mean the land is yet to be confiscated by the government?
“The collapse of a three-storey building under construction within an estate on Ajiran Road, Agungi, Lekki, on Tuesday, September 22, 2015, made BCPG Lekki Cell members alert the public to the dominance of quacks in the construction works in some Lekki estates. The need for developers to seek and verify the qualifications of those being given sensitive site roles was emphasised.
“At this juncture, it is apposite to bring to the fore the lessons learnt from the six-story building under construction that collapsed at Kusenla Street, Ikate-Elegushi in Lekki on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. This tragedy terminated the lives of 34 people prematurely, while about 12 persons sustained injuries. BCPG Lekki Cell members, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police, mounted day and night watch over the site to make sure that no evidence was taken out of the site.”