A town planning consultant, Mr Makinde Ogunleye, has called for a comprehensive auditing of all new and old buildings in Lagos State to curb the menace of incessant building collapse.
Ogunleye, a former Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Lagos State Chapter, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, January 5, 2018 in Lagos.
He urged the state government to urgently embark on the building audit to enable it to take appropriate steps to avert the collapse of distressed buildings.
According to him, majority of collapsed buildings in the state were dilapidated.
“Audit of building is all about conducting an integrity test on a building, to ascertain the stability of the structure.
“It will reveals the structural capacity of a building, giving the signs of dilapidation,” he said.
Ogunleye said that audit of all buildings in the state would not take more than three months to be completed, if the government could be proactive about it.
“After the audit, an immediate removal of all identified non-remedial distressed buildings, as well as structures blocking access and drainage alignment, must follow,” he said.
Ogunleye also advised the state government and residents of the state to develop maintenance culture of the buildings, saying that poor maintenance could lead to early collapse of buildings.
“If Lagosians can ensure proper maintenance and servicing of their buildings, the issue of building collapse will be curtailed,” he said.
By Lilian Chukwu
