PROPERTY ARTICLES

Building control measures have been identified as important elements towards the attainment of the proposed mega city status by Lagos State.

The General Manager, Lagos State Urban Renewal Authority, Alhaji S.A. Yusuf, stated this in a paper he presented at the Builders’ Forum organised by the Nigerian Institute of Builders in Lagos on Saturday.

He described building control as a set of rules specifing the minimum standard to be followed and applied by the engineer or architect on a construction work on site.

According to Yusuf, the population pressure in Lagos State has become too enormous, thus increasing rate of rapid and uncontrolled urbanisation. He lamented that the population growth had created the proliferation of illegal developments on approvable and unapprovable areas as well as the growth of slums.

He also said that the attainment of the mega city status had certainly thrown up big challenges for successive administrators in the state, adding that the attendant coalescence of commercial, economic and industrial activities has additionally facilitated population drift into Lagos "hence the essence of a building control mechanism that would serve as a proactive way towards prevention of building collapse."

Yusuf stressed that building control would ensure quality design and construction of safe accessible and environmentally-efficient buildings; that ensure conformity of a building to the operative development; just as buildings/structures would be erected as designed and approved.

He called on the building professionals to continuously inform and educate the public on the correct and modern standards obtainable in the construction industry.

Another speaker at the event, Mr. Kunle Awobodu pointed out that geographical data was a crucial element towards understanding the level of infrastructure the state requires and that provision of social amenities in an area was hinged on the size of a particular area.

He stressed that "knowing the number of houses, streets, factories, schools, hospitals and traffic record of towns and cities in the state are basic ingredients for planning."

Awobodu also said that planning in Lagos must now go beyond the metropolis because Lagos suburbs in Ogun State like Mowe are populated by those whose daily activities revolve around Lagos.