MATERIALS TESTING VERY CRUCIAL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – LAGOS COMMISSIONER

The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye has underscored the need for material testing by stakeholders in the built sector, saying that the vision of achieving a zero-building collapse in the State must be meticulously pursued by the government and professionals in the sector.

 

The Commissioner stated this on Wednesday during a familiarization and inspection tour to the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), Ojodu.

 

He said that the mandate given to Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory to regulate and certify the operations of privately-owned testing laboratories across the State makes it compelling for the agency to live above board more than it has ever done in the past.

 

Ogunleye added that all hands must be on deck to support the repositioning and regeneration plan of the State government by ensuring strict adherence to guiding rules, regulations and professional standards in conducting the “integrity test of construction materials.

 

The Commissioner said, “This Agency is one of the core Agencies of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and its role in terms of delivering the mandate of the Ministry is vital. The incidences of building collapse send a negative signal to Government and this explains why the government has been doing everything within its ability to reduce the incidences to barest minimum if not totally eradicate it”.

 

“Having inspected the various facilities here, I am convinced that if we do the right thing, this Agency would perform its role diligently and effectively. We cannot afford to be lackadaisical; we must reach our peak to drive the built sector forward and ensure zero tolerance to building collapse”, he affirmed.

 

Ogunleye assured the officials of the agency that the State government was committed to ensuring the re-emergence and re-positioning of LSMTL to meet the challenges of the State’s emerging Smart City status.

 

Earlier, the Acting General Manager, LSMTL, Engr. Olalekan Ajani in his remarks promised that the officials of the Agency will continue to discharge their duties diligently and with integrity, noting that the recruitment of additional professionals who are Engineers, Geologists and Builders is a good impetus for the manpower capacity of the agency.

 

“We are working on the capacity building, this we do through retraining of our staff by organizing training and conferences regularly so that we can key into the vision of the Lagos State Government. We reiterate the need for our staff to demonstrate diligence, honesty, loyalty and integrity in the discharge of their duties”, the Acting General Manager stated.

 

Ajani described the employment of the new professionals as a way of creating gainful employment for the citizens of the State on one hand but more importantly underscores the determination of the present administration to further guarantee the safety of all residents of the State and prevent avoidable deaths.