Nigerian authorities have inaugurated a 14-member task team to address the recurrent crisis of building collapses across the country, describing the incidents as a “national embarrassment.”
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held in the nation’s capital; Abuja on Wednesday, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, expressed deep concern over the frequency of building failures, which he said have resulted in the tragic loss of lives, injuries, destruction of property, and long-term psychological trauma for many affected families.
The newly expanded task team is a follow-up to an earlier committee chaired by renowned architect Maji Alkali, which submitted a comprehensive report outlining 18 key recommendations aimed at tackling the root causes of structural failures in Nigeria’s construction sector.
Dangiwa noted that the task team has been broadened to include regulatory and professional bodies within the built environment. This, he said, reflects the multidisciplinary nature of ensuring building safety and the need for greater collaboration among architects, engineers, surveyors, builders, town planners, and estate valuers.
According to the Minster, the safety of buildings is not the responsibility of one profession alone. It requires synergy across multiple sectors and a unified approach to enforcement and compliance.
