The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Lagos Chapter, has commended the Lagos State government on the enactment of the state’s new law on building control, saying that it will achieve its main objective of curbing incidences of building collapse in the state.

Chairman,  NIOB, Lagos Chapter, Mr. Moroof Abass, said that with the new law, building collapse would be reduced to the barest minimum.

“The new law will sanitise the planning and control of buildings to reduce the number of buildings that collapse in the state.
“The authorities are trying to make the issue of building collapse a thing of the past because, now, the use of professional, will be used to set up structures, and proper procedures and practices will be taken into consideration when doing such,” he said.

It would be recalled that the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, recently signed into law a bill for the administration of physical planning, urban regeneration and building control in the state. The law is meant to regulate the construction of buildings in the state and it prohibits the activities of roadside block makers. It is a fallout of frequent building collapses recorded across the state.

The law, which is a fallout of frequent building collapses recorded across the state, would enforce urban and regional planning in the state to ensure safety of lives in the case of emergencies or fire outbreak. During the signing ceremony, Fashola stated: “It will also assist the state in planning the infrastructure needs of the citizens such as in the provision of electricity, water, hospitals and schools… and ensure that building contractors and developers abide by the building codes, by using appropriate building and electrical materials.”

The law also provides that all buildings being constructed in the state must take cognizance of the physically challenged, while provision for the role of insurance firms in the construction of buildings right from the outset by visiting construction sites, was also accentuated in the law.

“They will ensure that buildings are built to right specifications, with right materials for the safety of the workers and fit for tenants’ habitation on completion. When insurance companies are involved, they would be responsible for the payment of compensation to victims of any collapsed buildings if such eventually happens,” Fashola said.

The law requires that landlords with buildings above two floors must obtain certificates of fitness from the Building Control Board, and it harmonises  agencies such as the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority (LASPHDA), the Lagos State Building Control and the Lagos State Urban and Rural Agency (LASURA).