LAGOS ENGAGES MORE PROFESSIONALS TO STEM BUILDING COLLAPSE INCIDENTS
Lagos State Government has engaged the services of additional 115 certified engineers and other relevant professionals in the built sector in its quest to address the incidences of building collapse and ensure compliance with relevant building laws.
The Commissioner for Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, TPL, Wasiu Anifowoshe disclosed this at the weekend during the induction programme organised for the newly deployed staff of the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), adding that the government is now better prepared to prevent collapsed-building incidents in the State.
He described the deployment of the new officers as a way of creating gainful employment for the citizens on one hand, but more importantly, it underscores the determination of the present administration to further guarantee the safety of all residents of the State and prevent avoidable deaths.
Anifowoshe attributed the spate of collapsed buildings experienced in Lagos to the engagement of quacks in construction works, use of substandard building materials by property developers, poor sensitization on the importance of undertaking material testing in building and civil engineering construction.
He, therefore, called on the affected professional bodies to be more alive to their responsibilities in ensuring that their members perform their duties in line with their guiding code of conduct, stressing that the efforts being put in place by the State government to ensure compliance with building laws must be complemented by the professional associations as well.
The Commissioner informed that the 115 newly recruited officers are professionals from different fields of study comprising of geologists, quantity surveyors, architects, chemical engineers, building officers, civil engineers and mechanics, among others.
While urging the newly recruited staff to comport themselves in the discharge of their duties without compromise, Anifowoshe noted that the induction programme will familiarize participants with the rules guiding their engagement as well as the expectations of the State Government.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mrs. Boladele Dapo-Thomas, who was represented by the Acting General Manager of Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory, Engr. Olalekan Ajani restated the State government’s position of zero-tolerance to building collapse in Lagos State.
She urged the inductees to help curb the incidences of building and civil engineering infrastructure collapse by carrying out an appropriate and required test on all building materials used in the “building and construction industry” for quality assurance.
In her words, “Be reminded of the Mission Statement of this Agency which is – To establish a system that will prevent distress on building and civil engineering infrastructure through quality materials assurance mechanism”.
The Permanent Secretary lauded the efforts of the State government at ensuring the re-emergence and re-positioning of Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory to meet the challenges of a smart city that Lagos has become.