Lagos Building Experts Demand Tougher Enforcement After Alakija Collapse
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Built-environment experts have called for tougher enforcement and earlier intervention after the collapse of a four-storey building at Alakija in Lagos, which killed eight people and saw 26 others rescued.
A four-storey building collapsed on Old Ojo Road, near Alakija Bus Stop, off the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Satellite Town, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, killing eight people, with 26 others rescued.
The loss of lives and property renewed concerns about weaknesses in building regulation, professional supervision and emergency response, with built-environment experts calling for tougher enforcement, regular inspections and earlier action to prevent further tragedies.
The experts spoke at a conference organised by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Amuwo-Odofin Cell, in Satellite Town, Lagos, under the theme “Building a Resilient Lagos Through Synergy”. The event brought together regulators including the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory, the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, the Nigeria Police and the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps.
The Coordinator of the BCPG Amuwo-Odofin Cell, Chubike Okafor, a builder, said the Alakija collapse was among the incidents that prompted the conference and exposed weaknesses in emergency coordination and the need for better early-warning systems. LASBCA General Manager Florence Gbaye, a builder, warned against substandard materials and unqualified workers on critical construction activities, and pointed to the agency's Certified Accreditors Programme, which involves more than 150 private practitioners.
According to BCPG records cited in a presentation, Nigeria recorded 817 building-collapse incidents between October 1971 and July 27, 2026, including 477 in Lagos. Of the Lagos incidents, 325, or 68.1 per cent, occurred while buildings were occupied; 121, or 25.4 per cent, occurred during construction; and 31, or 6.5 per cent, at the end-of-life stage.
Geotechnical engineer Sebastian Ozoamalu, Vice President for Africa at the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, said proper checks on soil and ground conditions before construction could help prevent failures, warning that neighbouring properties can have different ground conditions. Quantity surveyor Tomi Ogundare cautioned that cost and inflation should never justify compromising building standards, and called for collapse investigation outcomes to be used to manage risks before failure.