Concerned by the persistent cases of building collapse across the country, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, on Wednesday, June 18, inaugurated an expanded Ministerial Task Team to address the crisis.
The newly restructured task team includes representatives from major professional bodies and regulatory agencies within Nigeria’s built environment. These include the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN), Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), and the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON). Also represented are the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG).
Speaking during the inauguration, Dangiwa decried the alarming frequency of structural failures nationwide, describing the trend as both unacceptable and a national embarrassment.
“These avoidable tragedies have led to the painful loss of innocent lives, left many with permanent disabilities, destroyed properties, and inflicted deep psychological trauma on countless families,” the minister said.
He recalled that in 2024, a committee had been constituted to investigate the root causes of building collapses in Nigeria and recommend actionable solutions. Led by Architect Maji Liberty Alkali, the committee submitted a report featuring 18 strategic recommendations.
In response to the report, Dangiwa said he directed the expansion of the committee to bring in regulatory and professional bodies across all disciplines involved in the construction process. He emphasized that the problem of building collapse is a shared responsibility and cannot be attributed to any single profession.
“Addressing this issue requires a collaborative, holistic approach,” the minister stated. “Architects must ensure safety-compliant designs, engineers must deliver structurally sound calculations, quantity surveyors must verify accurate costing and material specifications, and builders must uphold construction integrity.”
Dangiwa reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to ending the spate of building collapses, urging all stakeholders in the construction industry to work together in ensuring safety, professionalism, and accountability at every stage of the building process.
