The Federal Government says more than 1,600 people have died in over 650 building collapse incidents recorded across Nigeria since 1974, describing the trend as a major public safety concern.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Muttaqha Darma, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja, saying the figures reflected lives lost and families devastated.
Darma said many of the collapsed buildings had designers, builders and approving officers, but lamented the absence of proper licensing and accountability.
He said the Federal Government was proposing a National Housing and Built Environment Regulation Policy to strengthen oversight, enforce the licensing of developers and agents, improve construction standards and ensure professional registration.
According to the minister, the proposal also includes escrow protection for homebuyers, improved land administration, a national housing data observatory and the establishment of a National Housing Industry Regulatory Commission to enforce compliance.
Also speaking, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, said weak regulatory enforcement and fragmented data had undermined housing quality and safety, adding that the proposed reforms would improve compliance and reduce building collapse incidents nationwide.
FG raises alarm as building collapses kill 1,600 in 52 years
