The Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State chapter, on Tuesday called on the government and regulatory bodies to put strict building regulations in place, to avoid future building collapse.
Chairman of the chapter, David Majekodunmi, said this during his visit to the site of a building in the Ikoyi part of the state’s which collapsed on Monday.
Majekodunmi faulted the signage of the building construction, stating that if the regulatory bodies had done the needful, then the public would know who to blame for the mayhem.
According to him, the numbers on the construction signage shows that the same person is the consultant and the architect.
He said, “If the regulatory bodies had seen this signboard and done the needful, maybe we’d be able to know who we are accusing or who to hold responsible for this mayhem.”
The chairman said that, from his point of view, the collapse was an implosion, which could have been averted if regulatory bodies like the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria or Council of Registered Engineers had done the needful.
“This construction has been going on for two to three years. Ideally, if this has been going on and we have this signage, the regulatory body could have blown the whistle,” he said.
He added, “It has been on the social media that they got approval for 15 stories but they took it up to 21 stories, why? The regulatory body has every power, even if the government is silent, to blow it out.
“In doing so, we know that the regulatory body is doing well. They need to buckle up their belt and do the needful. Government need to do the needful and create more laboratory testing agencies for building materials.”
