Lagos records lowest building collapse rate in 20 years

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Lagos State recorded the lowest incidence of building collapse in the last two decades in 2025.

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The state government attributed the achievement to improved regulatory enforcement and stakeholder collaboration.

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The General Manager of the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), Mrs Olayinka Abdul, disclosed this on Thursday during a sensitisation campaign with market leaders at the Alimosho Local Government Secretariat.

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Abdul was represented by the agency’s Director of Business Development, Mrs Abimbola Adenote.

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The sensitisation was on the implementation of the state’s Certified Structural Integrity Programme (CSIP).

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CSIP would make structural integrity testing mandatory every five years for all buildings in the state to ensure their safety and habitability.

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Abdul said the improvement reflected the impact of stronger regulatory oversight, proactive inspections and increased compliance with building standards.

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According to her, Nigeria recorded more than 180 cases of building collapse from 2005 to 2022, with Lagos accounting for over 60 per cent of the cases.

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She said that recent interventions by the state government had, however, begun to reverse the trend.

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“The progress demonstrates that when political will, technical expertise and public interest align, meaningful change is possible,” she said.

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Abdul said the government had strengthened building control through review and enforcement of building regulations, enhanced monitoring by relevant agencies and stricter compliance measures.

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She disclosed that the government recently sealed 827 construction sites for violations of destructive and non-destructive testing requirements.

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She said that LSMTL had introduced additional quality assurance measures, including mandatory signing and sealing of laboratory data and intensified audit processes.

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Abdul added that the agency introduced laboratory comparison exercises and the inclusion of weather information in non-destructive testing reports.

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She said the reforms were designed to improve the credibility, accuracy and reliability of construction materials testing in Lagos.

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The general manager urged all stakeholders to support the state government’s efforts to prevent structural failures and safeguard lives and property.

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