Professionals in Nigeria’s built environment have identified poor compliance with construction standards and weak enforcement of existing laws as the major drivers of the recurring cases of building collapse across the country, particularly in Lagos State.
The experts made the submission during the monthly webinar organised by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Amuwo-Odofin Cell, with the theme, “Construction Policy, Governance and Regulatory Reform in Preventing Building Collapse.”

Speaking at the event, pioneer President of BCPG and past President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Kunle Awobodu, lamented the recent collapses in Lagos and Rivers, resulting in loss of lives and property, and called for stricter enforcement of laws to curb the building collapse menace .

He urged built professionals to double their guards to ensure compliance of existing building regulations.
Lead speaker and Chartered Quantity Surveyor and construction contracts administrator, Bolarinwa Dejonwo, stressed that technical defects observed before a building fails are merely symptoms of deeper governance failures.

According to him, structural cracks, uneven settlement, tilting buildings and unusual noises from construction sites often signal underlying problems caused by poor regulatory oversight, non-compliance and ineffective enforcement.
“Most building collapses are not sudden incidents. They are known risks. The failure is not in detecting the problems but in enforcing the laws that should prevent them,” he said.

Dejonwo noted that unauthorised developments remain one of the biggest threats to safe construction practices. He explained that entire estates are sometimes developed without proper planning approval or are built on drainage channels and other unsuitable locations, creating significant safety risks.

He also identified the widespread practice of bypassing statutory approvals for building designs, construction methods, materials and approved building heights as a major contributor to structural failures.
Another growing concern, he said, is the illegal conversion of residential buildings into churches, schools, shopping complexes and other commercial facilities without assessing whether the structures can withstand the increased occupancy and loading.
“Buildings are designed for specific purposes. Once you change the use without proper structural assessment and regulatory approval, you expose occupants to serious danger,” he warned.

The quantity surveyor further decried the increasing trend of property owners adding extra floors to completed buildings years after construction without verifying whether the existing foundations were designed to carry the additional load.
According to him, many buildings originally approved for two floors are later expanded to three or four storeys, placing excessive pressure on foundations and structural members.

Dejonwo also blamed poor inspection regimes for allowing developers to violate approved plans with little or no consequences.
He observed that while regulatory agencies often grant building approvals, routine inspections during construction and after completion remain inadequate, enabling illegal alterations and unsafe modifications to go undetected.

Drawing comparisons with countries such as New Zealand, he noted that even minor modifications to residential properties require approval from local authorities, reflecting a culture of strict compliance that Nigeria should emulate.
He described corruption as the “biggest cancer” affecting the construction industry, saying it cuts across developers, contractors, artisans, regulators and even members of the public who ignore obvious violations.

According to him, bribery, compromise and political interference frequently undermine the enforcement process, allowing offenders to escape sanctions.

He lamented that many cases that should attract serious criminal prosecution are either poorly investigated or abandoned, encouraging further violations.

“There should be no sacred cows. The laws already exist. What is lacking is the political will and institutional capacity to enforce them without fear or favour,” he said.

To address the problem, Dejonwo advocated a smarter and technology-driven regulatory system that focuses on risk-based enforcement rather than treating every project the same way.
He explained that effective enforcement should be affordable, scalable and supported by digital tools capable of tracking approvals, monitoring compliance and identifying high-risk developments before disasters occur.
According to him, countries such as Singapore have significantly reduced construction failures through digital permitting systems, automated compliance monitoring and stiff penalties for violators.

He urged Nigerian authorities to invest in similar systems, arguing that although establishing such frameworks requires substantial initial investment, the long-term benefits far outweigh the costs.
“The cost of enforcing compliance is insignificant when compared with the societal cost of building collapse,” he said.
Dejonwo also acknowledged the newly digital permitting system in lagos called the “Electronic Physical Planning Process System”, as some efforts by the government.

He noted that beyond the destruction of property, building collapse often results in the loss of lives, livelihoods and the emotional devastation of families—losses that cannot be quantified or reversed.
Dejonwo therefore called on government agencies, construction professionals, developers and members of the public to embrace a culture of compliance, accountability and ethical practice.

He maintained that preventing building collapse requires collective responsibility, insisting that every stakeholder must report unsafe practices and ensure that regulations are strictly followed.

“The regulations are already in place. Our greatest challenge is enforcement. Until we consistently enforce compliance and eliminate corruption from the construction process, building collapses will continue to occur,” he said.