Lagos Building Collapses Trigger National Concern as Experts Demand Overhaul Of Urban Planning System

LAGOS, NIGERIA — Leading voices in Nigeria’s built environment sector have issued a resounding call for sweeping reforms to curb the disturbing trend of building collapses in Lagos, as stakeholders gathered at the University of Lagos for a pivotal urban development forum.

The event, tagged the Professor Leke Oduwaye–Adron Homes Urban Development Dialogue, was convened by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP), University of Lagos, in collaboration with real estate firm Adron Homes, and focused on the theme: “Recurring Building Collapse in Lagos: The Challenge of Regulatory Oversight and Construction Practices.”

In a keynote goodwill message, Sir Aare Adetola EmmanuelKing, KOF, Chairman of Adron Group, described building collapses as preventable tragedies fueled by human error, professional compromise, and institutional failure.

“These incidents are not natural disasters. They happen because someone, somewhere, chooses to cut corners—whether in planning, approval, or construction,” he said.

He emphasized the need for Verification, Validation, and Control as non-negotiable strategies in restoring integrity to the construction process.

The dialogue featured a landmark lecture by Tpl. (Dr.) Idris Salako FNITP, former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, who delivered a scathing critique of Nigeria’s urban governance system. He highlighted weak enforcement of regulations, inter-agency dysfunction, and political interference as core drivers of structural failures.

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Dr. Salako further warned that unless Nigeria invests in regulatory capacity building, formal training for artisans, and the digitalization of building approval processes, the cycle of collapse and casualties will persist.

Other notable speakers included Tpl. Tunji Odunlami FNITP, Commissioner for Physical Planning in Ogun State, and Prof. Ayo Omotayo, Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), who both stressed the urgency of integrated planning and a multi-stakeholder approach to creating safer cities.

The event was chaired by Tpl. Waheed Kadiri FNITP, a former national president of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, and witnessed participation from prominent academics and practitioners including Prof. Modupe Omirin, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at UNILAG, Dr. Taofik Salau, Head of DURP, and Dr. S.A. Adeyemi, Chair of the Organizing Committee.

Consensus among participants was clear: urgent, coordinated reforms are necessary to halt the alarming spate of structural failures that have cost lives and eroded public confidence in Nigeria’s urban development systems.

As Lagos continues to expand vertically and horizontally, the dialogue is expected to spark crucial policy shifts and reinforce the need for a future built on transparency, technical excellence, and public safety.