The collapse of buildings in Ogun and Anambra states within days of each other has reignited concerns over the safety of Nigeria’s built environment, with experts warning that the country can no longer afford to respond to such tragedies on a case-by-case basis.

Three people were confirmed dead after a building collapsed in the Ajuwon area of Ogun State, while another collapse involving a student hostel in Oko, Anambra State, claimed two lives and left several others injured.

Reacting to the incidents, construction and infrastructure expert, Abiola Aderibigbe, renewed his call for the enactment of a Nigerian Construction Act, arguing that repeated building failures demonstrate the need for comprehensive legislative reform rather than piecemeal responses.

According to Aderibigbe, while the immediate causes of the collapses must be established through independent technical investigations, the recurrence of similar incidents across the country points to broader weaknesses in construction governance.

“Every collapse deserves a rigourous technical investigation. But when these tragedies continue to occur across different parts of the country, we must also examine whether our legal and regulatory framework is adequately preventing them in the first place.”

He said the proposed Nigerian Construction Act would provide a coherent statutory framework for the construction industry by strengthening governance, improving accountability, supporting contractor competency, enhancing health and safety standards and creating clearer mechanisms for regulatory oversight.

Aderibigbe noted that Nigeria’s construction sector remains governed by a fragmented mix of laws, regulations and professional standards, making consistent enforcement difficult.

“This is not simply an engineering issue. It is a governance issue. Countries that have significantly improved construction safety have done so by combining technical expertise with strong legislation, effective oversight and clearly defined statutory responsibilities,” he said.

Commenting on reports that the collapsed student hostel in Anambra had allegedly shown signs of structural distress before the incident, he said such claims, if confirmed by investigators, would raise important questions about the effectiveness of existing inspection and enforcement mechanisms.

“The objective must be to intervene before buildings fail, not merely to investigate after lives have already been lost,” he said.

Aderibigbe has been one of the leading advocates for a Nigerian Construction Act, arguing that a unified legislative framework would strengthen public safety, improve investor confidence and modernise governance across Nigeria’s construction sector. His campaign has previously attracted national media attention following similar building safety incidents.