BCPG seeks police collaboration to tackle menace of building colapse

To stem unending incidents of building collapse across Lagos State, members of the Building Collapse and Prevention Guild (BCPG), a voluntary organisation made of built environment professionals with the mandate to prevent buildings from collapsing, has decided to seek police collaboration in its quest to tackle the menace.


The organisation is equally seeking police assistance to checkmate the activities of the ‘Omoniles’ that disrupt construction activities on site such as not allowing concrete works to be carried out at the right time thereby resulting in defective buildings in the future. The group said the harassment of ‘Omoniles’ at construction sites has caused concrete casting to be delayed after the mix of concrete materials, pointing out that by the action of the ‘Omoniles’ is not checked, the incidents of building collapse will keep rising.

Mr. Kunle Awobodu, National President of BCPG, and former chairman, Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), made this known at the weekend when officers of the group paid a courtesy call on the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, in his office.

Mr. Awobodu told the police commissioner that Lagos, which is the commercial centre of the country and where most construction activities are taking place, has recorded incessant building collapse that has become an embarrassment to built environment professionals. He sited activities of quacks and poor workmanship as the major factor contributing to collapse of buildings generally.

Emphasising the menace of ‘Omoniles’, he said their problem has disrupted work during construction activities especially during concrete formation which has become a grave concern in the recent time, insisting that “This has been a major cause of collapse of buildings which many people do not pay attention to”.

The BCPG president who was accompanied by the national publicity secretary of the group, Mr. George Akinola, an Architect, Lagos State chairperson of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mrs. Adenike Ayanda, president of Carpentres Association in Lagos State, Prince Aluko among others, solicited police support in the area of battling with substandard materials in the market in collaboration with Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

The Commissioner of Police while responding, commended the group for making out time to visit him and appreciated their effort to ensure that building collapse is reduced in the state. He said his Command is ever ready to assist the group to eradicate building collapse.