Building collapse: ‘Professionals found wanting should be prosecuted’

Legal luminary, Mr Femi Falana stated this while pledging to support the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) in its quest to end building collapse in the country and said that built professionals cannot escape liability if found wanting. He said, “As far as the law is concerned, if you put up a building that is […]

Legal luminary, Mr Femi Falana stated this while pledging to support the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) in its quest to end building collapse in the country and said that built professionals cannot escape liability if found wanting.
He said, “As far as the law is concerned, if you put up a building that is structurally defective and liable to collapse, you are liable for the loses and that can wipe you off your profession.
While commending the efforts of the guild at a forum with its members in Lagos on Saturday, Falana said he was delighted at the attempt to save lives as well as protect the reputation of professionals in the built environment.
“The beauty of your commitment to this project is that you want to weed out those destroying this profession. In this regards, I want to pledge to offer my service Pro Bono to you.” We live in a country that has no regards for the rule of law, if we were in other climes, all those involved in collapsed buildings would have been in prison. But we cannot allow quacks and unprofessional builders to destroy this profession,” he said.
Falana said Lagos state has set up a Corona Inquest which stipulates that when people die through an unnatural cause including building collapse, an inquiry should be conducted and those found liable will be brought to book.
“The laws are there and they are for all of us, and if we are not careful in handling building projects, we may run into problems,” he stated.
Falana also urged government at all levels to stop giving construction projects to foreigners while local professionals languish in poverty.
Also speaking at the forum, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Projects Implementation and Monitoring, Mr. Sulaimon Yusuf, said the state was interested in the aspect of projects that will ensure that the right thing is done by the right professionals.
Yusuf urged the guild and other professionals in the built environment to respect one another, practice integrity without compromise, build capacity especially with the artisans and strive to be excellent in the execution of their duties.