The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, on Wednesday inaugurated an expanded Ministerial Task Team on Building Collapse, saying the rising cases across Nigeria have become a national concern.
Speaking at the event, he said, “The frequency of building collapse is unacceptable and these incidents have led to loss of lives, injuries, and destruction of property.”
He said the ministry had earlier set up a committee led by Architect Maji Liberty Alkali to investigate the causes and propose solutions and have submitted 18 recommendations.
“To ensure effective implementation, I directed the committee to be expanded to include key regulatory and professional bodies in the sector,” he added.
Dangiwa atrributed building collapse to multiple failures, including poor designs, use of substandard materials, weak supervision, and lack of proper approvals.
He emphasized the need for collaboration among architects, engineers, surveyors, builders, town planners, and estate valuers to prevent such failures.
Dangiwa said the team will advise government on implementation of the recommendations, developing a roadmap to fix structural and regulatory issues, creating a compliance framework, and proposing legislation to strengthen federal oversight.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, said the committee’s membership reflects the government’s resolve to address the issue from all angles.
