By ANGELA ATABO

The Federal Government has inaugurated an Expanded Ministerial Task Team on Building Collapse as part of efforts to stem the growing cases of building collapse in the country.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, while inaugurating the team on Wednesday in Abuja, said the alarming frequency of building collapse in the country is “a national disgrace”.

“In reality, building collapse is rarely the result of a single failure. It is usually the end point of a chain of systemic breakdown design flaws that were not corrected.

“It also included substandard materials that went unchecked, construction methods that ignored specifications, approvals granted without proper scrutiny, and inadequate oversight during and after construction.

“In other words, when a building collapses, it is not just the structure that failed; it is the entire value chain that failed.

“From conception to approval, from planning to execution, from inspection to regulation, something or many things went wrong and were not caught in time,” he said.

Dangiwa said, in addressing the menace, it is important to look at it holistically and seek synergy across every profession involved in the building process.

According to him, Architects must ensure that designs meet safety standards and Engineers guarantee that structural calculations are sound while Quantity surveyors confirm that costs and material specifications align.

He added that Builders must execute construction with integrity, Town planners ensure developments are happening in the right places, Surveyors verify accurate measurements and land conditions while valuers factor in the risks when assessing properties.

“This cross-sectoral nature of the challenge is exactly why we have brought together this expanded Task Team.

“Your collective expertise, shared knowledge, mutual oversight are what we need to build a framework that works not just in theory, but in practice,” he said

The minister listed the committee members to include representatives of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN),Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria(QSRBN) and Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC).

Others included, representatives of Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON), Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG).

Dangiwa recalled that he earlier approved the constitution of a Committee on Building Collapse to examine the root causes of the problem and propose practical and sustainable solutions.

The minister said that recognising the importance of broad-based implementation; he directed that the Committee be expanded to include key regulatory and professional bodies within the built environment.

This, according to him, is because the issue of building collapse is a deeply interconnected challenge that cuts across architecture, engineering, quantity surveying, town planning, land surveying, estate valuation, and building construction.

He said the Committee’s report proposed 18 key recommendations.

He therefore, said the reconstituted Committee should examine the 18 approved recommendations and advise the Ministry on effective strategies for their implementation.

He added that the committee would develop a comprehensive roadmap for addressing systemic, technical, legal, and institutional challenges associated with building collapse.

The minister said the committee should also design a compliance checklist and framework for regulatory and professional bodies to enhance oversight, promote accountability, and ensure adherence to standards and ethics in building construction and approvals.

He said the committee should further propose a national legislation to strengthen effective oversight of the federal government on building construction.

Also speaking, Dr Shuaib Belgore, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, urged the members of the committee to use their expertise and institutional experience in achieving the Terms of Reference. (NAN)