The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has assured investors and sundry builders that they will no longer witness the spate of building demolitions and collapses that defined the state’s housing development landscape in the recent past.
This, the agency explained, is because they are now nipping both demolitions and collapses in the bud through constructive engagement with developers and investors at the every stage of development, pointing out the necessary precautions that must be taken.
LASBCA had, before now, garnered notoriety for bringing people’s buildings down with their angry bulldozers. The agency was widely condemned for looking away while construction progressed through various stages of completion, only to come for demolition when the buildings are completed and, in some cases, occupied.
Today, that story has changed, according to Florence Gbaye, LASBCA’s General Manager (GM). ‘Our work goes beyond regulations, inspections and enforcement. It is about protecting lives, safeguarding investments and ensuring that every building provides a safe environment for the people who live and work in it, the GM revealed.
Gbaye spoke at the 2026 Annual Lecture and Awards Day organized by the Property and Environment Writers Association of Nigeria (PEWAN) with the theme, ‘Re-Imagining Housing: Sustainability, Facility Management and Innovative Building Materials.’
She noted that building a better Lagos requires proper planning, quality materials, regular maintenance, professional involvement, and strict adherence to approved building standards.
‘At LASBCA, we remain committed to promoting building safety and compliance. However, we recognise that government cannot achieve this alone. Property owners, developers, built environment professionals, the media and members of the public all have important roles to play,’ she said.
She commended PEWAN for its contribution to public awareness, pointing out that, through responsible reporting and constructive engagement, the media can help people understand that building regulations are not meant to frustrate their aspirations, but to protect their lives, families and investments.
‘Our collective goal should be a Lagos where building safety becomes a shared responsibility, compliance becomes a culture, and everyone can live and work in buildings they can trust,’ Gbaye stated.
She assured that as Lagosians look towards the future, they should remember that the true measure of development is not just the number of buildings constructed, but the safety, quality, and value the buildings bring to their communities.
Earlier in her opening speech, Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie, the PEWAN chairman, had noted that rigorous quality control, appropriate standards and strict compliance with building regulations must support innovation, warning that affordability must never come at the expense of safety.
The chairman added that addressing Nigeria’s housing challenge requires more than building more houses. ‘It requires smarter planning, sustainable construction methods, innovative financing, and policies that make decent housing accessible to low- and middle-income earners,’ she stated.
She assured that, as journalists reporting on property and environment, ‘our responsibility goes beyond property market transactions; we are also committed to educating the public, investigating challenges in the housing sector, highlighting successful innovations, and holding policymakers and developers accountable.
Our stories will continue to promote transparency, discourage building approval violations, and encourage investment in sustainable housing solutions.’