The newly appointed General Manager, Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), Engr. Olufunsho Elulade, on Tuesday, stated the need to create a database for all producers and manufacturers of building or construction materials in Lagos.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Agency’s headquarters in Ojodu-Berger, Lagos, Elulade said, “We must do everything to ensure that all building materials manufacturers, especially block moulding factories in the State, are captured in our database. This will enable us to know who is doing what and what we can test, as the law allows us to carry out necessary tests at every stage of all construction in Lagos”.
Outlining his plans upon assumption of office, the General Manager added that apart from understanding the internal control of the agency, he will meet with the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and other relevant agencies and stakeholders for a robust collaboration.
His words: “I need to review the law that established this agency. Things have changed. Lagos has become heavily built and for us to actually realise the importance of this agency, we need to tweak the law slightly. You can rest assured that this agency will do what it is mandated to do”.
LSTML, Elulade said, would create a register, not only for all building materials manufacturers in Lagos but importers as well, in consonance with Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), to monitor and enforce compliance so that prospective developers either individual or even government adhere strictly to the laws that established this Agency.
While maintaining that his new assignment is a voluminous one, Olulade insisted that the collaboration of all stakeholders would enable him to achieve speedy results and urged all errant developers or individuals who usually prefer to cut corners to desist from such dishonest acts.
The General Manager submitted that the Agency, under his leadership, will do its best to sanitise the built sector in view of existing anomalies, as evident in incessant building collapse and its attendant consequences.
He said, “We have to start taking inventories of private laboratories for building materials testing because the majority of them have obsolete equipment that cannot give adequate results. Sadly, they are still being patronised by the public”.
“It is in our mandate to make sure that they have the required equipment for testing. We might end up shutting the ones that do not meet the expected standard because we need to protect the lives of Lagosians”, he added.
Speaking further, the General Manager, said that the State might look into establishing more Divisional Offices because the existing six at Badagry, Ikorodu, Epe, Agege, Ikeja 1 and 2 and the main office, in addition to the private laboratories, are not enough for the volume of work being handled by the Agency.
