The spate of building collapses in Nigeria over recent months has brought renewed scrutiny to the city’s construction practices, regulatory framework, and the commitment, or lack thereof, of authorities and stakeholders to protect lives. These incidents, occurring in both high-profile and residential areas, have become alarmingly frequent, painting a grim picture of systemic failures and a disregard for safety.
On 4 March 2025, a two-storey building with a penthouse under construction on Oriwu Street, Lekki, crumbled unexpectedly. Two individuals lost their lives. Fourteen others, all labourers, were pulled from the rubble and rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital. The cause remains under investigation, but early indicators point to familiar culprits: poor structural integrity, shoddy materials, and inadequate oversight.
Before that, a five-storey building collapsed near Chisco Bus Stop by Oando Filling Station in Lekki Phase One. The building came down around 4:30 in the morning during a thunderstorm, killing four people and injuring six others. Again, it appears nature merely triggered what was structurally inevitable.
On 26 July 2024, the collapse of three terraces under construction at 13 Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate, Maryland claimed five lives. Two survivors were given emergency medical care on-site before being transferred to hospital. The consistent pattern of incomplete or newly built structures giving way suggests that corruption and corner-cutting in the building sector continue to thrive unchecked.
Perhaps most heartbreaking is the incident at Magodo Phase I, where a mother and her three children were killed when a building perched on a hill gave way and crashed onto another structure below. Heavy rainfall has been cited as a contributing factor, but once again, this reveals the absence of proper planning, drainage solutions, and terrain-appropriate design. The father, who survived, now lives with the unbearable grief of losing his entire family.
In response, the Lagos State Government has accelerated the demolition of buildings deemed structurally unsound. On 18 November 2023, a four-storey building at 16 Oloto Street in Ebute-Metta was taken down after failing integrity tests. Forty-two other buildings in the area were similarly flagged. While this is a step in the right direction, it feels more like a reactive measure than a sustained policy shift.
The truth is this: these tragedies are not acts of God. They are preventable. They reflect a regulatory system that is either toothless or complicit. The laws exist. The standards are known. Yet enforcement is patchy at best. Developers exploit the cracks in the system, either through bribes or through sheer negligence, cutting corners to maximise profits at the cost of human life.
Beyond demolitions, what the country needs is a re-engineering of how buildings are conceived, approved, constructed, and monitored. Government agencies must operate independently, transparently, and with clear punitive measures for offenders. The Building Collapse Prevention Guild and other civil watchdogs should be empowered to operate with both authority and support. There must be a public database of distressed buildings and their status. Whistleblowers must be protected and rewarded. Above all, victims must be compensated, not with words, but with action.
Nigerians cannot continue to live with the dread that their homes could become their tombs. It is time for the state government, in collaboration with professionals in the construction industry, to enforce a city-wide, no-compromise approach to building safety. Anything short of that is an insult to the memory of those who have perished and an open invitation for more lives to be lost.