- Floats New Body, CAP To Regulate Building Crisis
Thursday 15th of August, 2024 was a special day for the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), as the agency held its annual programme themed Building Sector Stakeholders Engagement 2024, and the theme for this year is Professionalism Across Board In The Built Environment” held at the newly built Balmoral Convention Centre, Sheraton Hotel, in Ikeja, Lagos.
This years event was a huge success as it cut across all the major sectors in the real estate and built sectors. Some of the artisans present includes:Carpenters, Bricklayers, Plumbers, Iron Benders, Tilers, etc while the professional bodies like The Institute of Nigeria Engineers, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, (REDAN) Nigeria Architects were also present. Also present were top Obas across Lagos State, while the Iyaloja general Mrs Folasade Tinubu, was also present alongside some members of the market women.
The Ndigbo in Lagos and Arewa communities were also present.
The hall was filled to the brim with other top Lagos officials also present.
This year’s event was held to get more people in the built sector especially the private artisans and professionals involved in the activities of the Lagos State Building Control Agency.
The event officially kicked off when the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu made a grand entry and was led to the podium to address thousands of people across the built sector.
Sanwo-Olu, in his speech called on the public and stakeholders to adhere with all standard regulations on the built sector as any defaulter would be prosecuted.
According to the governor, “Professionalism in the built environment in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State, which I represent, is a critical undertaking that demands our attention and commitment.
“Our urban areas are experiencing rapid population growth which places tremendous pressure on our existing infrastructural facilities.
“One major challenge we face as a government, is citizens strict adherence to building codes which often translates to complete disregard to building regulations by home owners and developers.
While we realize that shelter is of utmost importance, we constantly advocate that as responsible citizens, there is a need to build right in order to have buildings that are safe, healthy and preserved for future generation.
“It is very crucial at this point in our history to enforce building regulations to the latter so as to prevent illegal, haphazard and poorly constructed buildings that are detrimental to the wellbeing of Lagosians.
“That is why we are strongly advocating for only professionals to be engaged in building constructions in the state.
“The professionals that should be engaged in the building construction are: Builders, Architects, Structural /Civil Engineers, Geologists Mechanical & Electrical Engineers.
I daresay that engaging only these professionals will solve seventy per cent (70%) of the challenges of building collapse across the state.
“Therefore, it is now mandatory that all relevant professionals in the built environment are fully engage in any building construction in the state.
“Let me say it loud and clear here that major stakeholders in the built industry must be fully involve and play their roles adequately and effectively in the built industry.”
Sanwo-Olu, while stressing the importance of professional bodies in the building process, from designs to supervision, construction and management of the entire process, urged the leadership to devise a method to track those who are not their members as well as put in place stringent punitive measures to punish members who are not practicing in line with the code of professional conduct of the associations.
On the roles of government, he said, “As a major stakeholder, our role is to provide an enabling environment and make policies to promote healthy buildings.
The Lagos State Government has been able to achieve this with the introduction of Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, and other agencies like: Material Testing Laboratory, LSMTL, and Lagos Safety Commission, LCSC, who play vital roles in the built environment.
“These agencies are to ensure that basic minimum standard are maintained in building construction and renovation, in order to ensure that existing and new buildings are safe, secure and habitable for present and future generation.
The task of ensuring a sustainable and structural fit buildings in our society is for everyone and it requires greater commitments from all stakeholders present here today for this event. As a government, we cannot do it alone without your support.
“My administration is very passionate about ending issues of building collapses in Lagos State and this has informed the introduction of the Certified Accreditors Programme, CAP, whereby professionals in the built sector will be involved in both the approval processes and inspection of building projects.
“But to further serve you better, we crave the support of everyone. When our officers visit your site, especially developers, ensure that you cooperate by producing all required documents.”
General Manager, LABSCA, Gbolahan Oki, while giving his welcome address earlier, identified negligence on the part of property owners and developers as one of the major factors responsible for building collapses in Lagos.
According to Oki, “The LABSCA has made significant strides in ensuring adherence to building standards and codes, resulting in a notable decline in building collapses.
“These positive outcomes are a testament to our efforts. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that there is always room for improvement.
“During this engagement, we will introduce new measures by the state government designed to enhance
the safety and resilience of our buildings for future generations.
We aim to engage not only industry professionals but also our community members who are involved in property development, specifically our mothers who specializes in trading and constantly engage the services of developers in handling their building projects.
“As previously mentioned, the government has introduced the Certified Accreditors Program (CAP) to further regulate the industry.
“The primary goal of the CAP program is to regulate the industry in parnership with the private sector by ensuring effective supervision and monitoring of all construction sites within the state.
“Achieving total industry integrity requires collaborative efforts; the
government alone cannot accomplish this.
I want to underscore that professionalism is the conerstone of our success in the built environment. This encompasses not only engineers, architects, and builders but also skilled workers such as bricklayers, carpenters, and welders.
More on The Lagos State Bullding Control Agency, an agency under the State Ministry of Physical Development has been playing a pivotal role towards the attainment of making Lagos a 21″ century economy in line with TiH:E:M:E:S. Agenda of the state government. The agency is saddled with responsibilities of initiating and formulating the enforcement of Building Control Regulations, Authorization to commence construction, and Certiflcation of various Stages of Construction, among others to prevent incidences of building collapse.
The agency was set up through the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planníng and Development Law of 2010, but it offlcially started in August 12, 2012, to ensure that basic minimum standards and quality control in building construction are observed to achieve structurally safe, secured and sustainable building in the state.
-Isaac Abimbade
08155107955
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