THE Nigerian Institute of Building, Lagos State Chapter, has announced plans to organise a rally against building collapse in the state.

According to the organisation, the rally is to commemorate ‘Builders’ Day’. It added that the day was an annual event slated for March 13 of every year, and was institutionalised as a result of the collapse of a five-storey building at Itafaji, Lagos Island on March 13, 2019.

In a statement, the organisation said, “In recognition of the importance to have Registered Builders on all sites, the Lagos State Building Control Agency Regulation as stipulated in Section 4 subsection (2) mandates the agency to ensure that the execution of every building under construction in Lagos State is managed by a Registered Builder, and Section 4 subsection (3) provides that such building construction must be supervised or managed by the relevant professionals registered to practice in Nigeria.

“Furthermore, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) Act Cap B13 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, Clause 1 Subsection 2 (a–e), recognises only Registered Builders as the professionals saddled with the construction, production and management of buildings as well as the technology of preserving the existing building stock during its useful lifespan.

“In addition, the Revised LASBCA Regulation of 2019 prescribes Offences and Penalties in Section 43 subsection 14 – any person who is not a registered builder but who makes a false representation to be a professional on any construction site commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or three months imprisonment or both.”

It added that the theme for this year’s Builders’ Day is ‘Building with Integrity.’