Stakeholders in the building industry have called for stronger collaboration among professionals, government agencies, regulators, developers and residents to prevent building collapse and promote safe development in Lagos State.
They made the call at a one-day stakeholders’ conference organised by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Amuwo Odofin Cell, with the theme, “Building a Resilient Lagos Through Synergy.”

The conference brought together government officials, built-environment professionals, residents and security agencies to discuss ways of improving safety and resilience in Lagos’ built environment.
Chairman of the conference, Arc. Dr Austin Otuoke, said the development and maintenance of Lagos could not be achieved by an individual or organisation.
He said building development was a complex process involving several professionals and stakeholders who must work together to ensure that projects were properly delivered.

“The issue of building Lagos cannot be achieved by any particular individual or any particular organisation, but it’s going to be a synergy of all the governments, the individuals, the professionals, the practitioners, all coming together to ensure that Lagos is built and maintained,” he said.

Otuoke said architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, land surveyors, government and regulatory agencies all had important roles to play in ensuring compliance with building standards.
He also identified whistleblowers, community leaders and other stakeholders as important contributors to the safety and sustainability of Lagos’ built environment.
Otuoke said the need for synergy had become more important as Lagos continued to experience rapid development and urbanisation.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Florence Gbaye, said the effectiveness of one professional often depended on the contributions of others, stressing the need for collective responsibility in the sector.
She said: “Everyone understands that the success of the professional depends on the effectiveness of others. Lagos is our patient and the built environment is the operating room that we all go to.”
Gbaye urged built-environment professionals to work together to protect lives and property and promote safer and more sustainable development across the state.
The Coordinator of BCPG Amuwo Odofin Cell, Chubike Okafor, said the conference was conceived following a building collapse in Alakija that resulted in loss of lives and property.
According to him, the incident exposed gaps in coordination among government, security and traffic agencies during emergencies.

Okafor said the conference was designed to provide a platform for stakeholders to strengthen their response to early warning signs, including structural cracks and flooding.
He stressed that resilience required collective responsibility, with government, developers, professionals and building occupants all having roles to play in preventing disasters.
Also speaking, the Vice President, Africa, International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Dr Sebastian Ozoamalu, said no single practitioner could effectively handle every aspect of construction.
Ozoamalu urged professionals to work together to ensure that building standards were not compromised, stressing that concerns about a project should be identified and addressed before construction begins.

He said: “It’s important no man is an island. The building system is a system that involves a lot of practitioners, and they must work together as one to make sure that the building system is not compromised.”
Ozoamalu also cautioned professionals against taking on responsibilities outside their areas of expertise, describing the practice as detrimental to the construction process.

He said: “If you’re a civil engineer, do the job of a civil engineer. If you’re a geotechnical engineer, act like one. If you’re a builder, be a builder. If you’re an architect, be an architect.”
He urged practitioners to embrace professional collaboration and respect for areas of expertise as part of efforts to improve construction standards, build resilient structures, and prevent building collapse.