Building Collapse: REDAN Chairman Blames Compromise and Government Failure, Demands Criminal Prosecution

Yusuf  Ebiti

Dr. Tony Aspire Kolawole, Chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) Lagos Chapter, condemned the recent series of building collapses nationwide, stating that the latest incidents in Rivers and Lagos States were avoidable disasters caused by negligence, regulatory failure, and a culture of impunity.

Following the collapse of a five‑storey building in Rivers State on June 24 and a three‑storey structure in the Alakija area of Lagos yesterday, Kolawole said the country can no longer regard building collapses as mere accidents; they are the result of human recklessness and institutional failure.

He described the twin incidents as a national emergency, lamenting that innocent Nigerians continue to die because established building standards are routinely compromised without consequences for those responsible.

“Buildings do not collapse by accident,” he said. “They collapse because individuals deliberately cut corners, substitute quality materials with substandard ones, manipulate approval processes, ignore professional advice and evade statutory inspections. Every building collapse is a tragic indictment of failed regulation, failed ethics and failed enforcement.”

Kolawole warned that unless government agencies abandon what he called a pattern of “reactive governance without accountability,” preventable disasters will continue.

He urged the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and other building‑control agencies nationwide to launch comprehensive structural‑integrity inspections immediately, especially in densely populated urban centres where aging and poorly supervised buildings pose significant risks.

Kolawole also urged state governments to go beyond demolishing defective structures by ensuring criminal prosecution of developers, contractors, consultants, property owners and public officials who have compromised building regulations.

“Demolition alone is not justice,” he said. “Until those whose actions or negligence lead to these disasters are prosecuted and convicted, others will continue to treat human lives