The persistent menace of building collapses in Lagos once again took center stage as top stakeholders in Nigeria’s built environment convened at the University of Lagos for the Professor Leke Oduwaye Adron Homes Urban Development Dialogue, an urgent forum designed to interrogate the causes of structural failures and chart a new course for safety and sustainability in the sector.
The high-level event, themed “Recurring Building Collapse in Lagos: The Challenge of Regulatory Oversight and Construction Practices,” was organized by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP), University of Lagos, in partnership with Adron Homes, one of Nigeria’s leading real estate development firms.
In his powerful goodwill message, the Group Chairman of Adron Homes, Sir Aare Adetola EmmanuelKing, KOF, decried the recurring collapse of buildings as a preventable tragedy fueled by human negligence, greed, and systemic failure.
“Buildings do not collapse by accident,” he asserted. “They collapse because somewhere along the chain of planning, approval, construction, or supervision, individuals choose to compromise.”
Sir EmmanuelKing outlined three critical actions to address the crisis Verification, Validation, and Control urging regulators, professionals, and developers alike to uphold the highest standards of ethical and technical responsibility.
The dialogue’s guest lecture was delivered by Tpl. (Dr.) Idris Salako, FNITP, former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, who presented a detailed exposé on the root causes of structural failures in Lagos. Dr. Salako highlighted widespread disregard for approved building plans, weak enforcement of development control regulations, poor inter-agency coordination, and the unchecked activities of unqualified practitioners as key drivers of the crisis.
He further called out **political interference, corruption, and the urgent need for capacity building, digitalization of building approval systems, and certification of artisans to restore trust in the building sector.
Also addressing the gathering, Tpl. Tunji Odunlami FNITP, Ogun State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, and Professor Ayo Omotayo, Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, emphasized the importance of urban planning foresight, regulatory integrity, and collaborative governance to avert future disasters.
Other dignitaries at the event included : Tpl. Waheed Kadiri FNITP, PPNITP, Past President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (Chairman of the event) ;Professor Modupe Omirin, Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, UNILAG; Dr. Taofik Salau, Head of DURP, UNILAG; Dr. S.A. Adeyemi, Chairman, Organizing Committee
…as well as industry professionals, academics, and policy advocates.
In a resounding consensus, participants at the dialogue demanded urgent reforms to arrest the ongoing wave of building collapses. Key recommendations included professional accountability, stricter enforcement of existing laws, removal of quacks from the industry, and public education on building safety.
The event concluded with a call for sustained policy engagement and strategic action to ensure Lagos and Nigeria at large builds safe, resilient, and sustainable cities, where human lives are protected, and urban development thrives responsibly.
