Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called on stakeholders in the built industry to support the government by ensuring compliance to rules and guidelines.
This, he said, will curb incessant cases of collapsed building in the state.
The governor spoke yesterday in Ikeja at the 2nd Annual Stakeholders’ Conference organised by the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory with the theme, “Socio-Economic Impact of Building and Civil Infrastructure Collapse in Mega Cities.” Represented by deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu said his administration was committed to ensuring that building collapse becomes a thing of the past.
While noting that government alone cannot do it, Sanwo-Olu said, such collaborative effort will be a cost effective and efficient.
Government, he said, has reposition the state material testing laboratory agency for efficient performance include capital investment in specialized testing equipment, procuring more operational vehicles and establishment of a new laboratory satellite office at Okokomaiko which will be operational before the end of the third quarter of the year.
In addition, Sanwo-Olu said the government has granted approval for the engagement of both technical and non-technical consultants to facilitate the operations of the agency in the areas of carrying out non-destructive tests and serving of test notices across the state.
General Manager, Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory, Olufunsho Elulade said the conference was organised to educate stakeholders of recent developments, innovations and regulations guiding building and civil engineering construction within the state.
He enjoined stakeholders to take cognizance of the developments regarding incessant building collapse due to sharp and untoward practice by building construction practitioners.
While noting that the agency will enforce and mitigate the environmental risk associated with collapse of buildings in the state, Elulade noted that to resolve the problems of collapse building in the state, practitioners should conform to the best global practices, stating that “we need to engage ourselves to the reality of times and avoid undue risk on health and safety of citizens across the state”.
The agency, he said, was committed to relating with the stakeholders for robust and more pragmatic solutions to the negative effects of all the shortfalls within the building and civil engineering sector to restrict contraventions of the laws guiding the Laboratory.