OPINION: The Statistics Don’t Lie — Lagos Has a Structural Governance Problem

It was reported that occupants of a building were rescued yesterday when the structure collapsed in Oyingbo — another suburb in Lagos added to a list already too long. One major problem bedevilling Lagos is the frequency of building collapses.

At this point, it has practically become a monthly ritual. In fact, data shows that between May 2024 and March 2025 alone, Lagos recorded 36 building-collapse incidents — 28 of them complete failures. If a month passes without one, residents start to ask if something has gone unusually right.

It is a big shame that a mega-city with all its so-called regulatory agencies still cannot curb this architectural hazard. This isn’t some rare tragedy. Nigeria has recorded 640 incidents of building collapse from 1974 to January 2025, leading to 1,595 deaths — and Lagos alone accounts for more than half of all these disasters. What could be more embarrassing for a state that prides itself as the nation’s model for urban development?

When Lagos State government fails to find a lasting solution to this problem, it means the government is part of the systemic failure that keeps killing innocent people. The government is culpable. It approves structures — many of them illegal — that eventually crumble and bury people alive.

Before a building is erected, it is supposedly vetted and approved by government agencies who certify that quality materials are used and that town-planning laws are followed. Yet, we keep seeing evidence that these approvals are reduced to revenue collection exercises. Because if inspectors were actually inspecting, why were 78 percent of collapsed buildings between 2000 and 2021 residential homes — the very structures families should feel safest in?

So we must ask: Who approved these killer buildings? Are the agencies mandated to supervise construction merely stamping papers and cashing fees? Are these buildings really being handled by qualified engineers or by amateurs chasing cheap labour and cutting corners? The causes of collapses recorded in Lagos between 2017 and 2022 were driven by poor construction practices in at least one-third of cases — proof that avoidable negligence is baked into the system.

It even appears that the government shows no real concern anymore — like frequent collapse has been normalised. The rate is frightening, yet the urgency is missing. The cause of each collapse must be identified swiftly, not buried under bureaucracy and silence.

Engineers whose structures collapse should face heavy sanctions. Developers must not walk away free, with only condolences offered to grieving families. Properties involved should be confiscated, not refurbished quietly and resold. Approving officers should also be named publicly — and prosecuted when negligence is clear.

Lagos must stop treating building collapse as storms from the sky. These are human-made disasters, created by human greed and government failure. Until accountability becomes real and painful for those responsible, the ground will continue to swallow our buildings — and our people with them.