Bennett Oghifo
Lagos dangers shedding extra of its historic buildings to neglect and demolition except the federal government strengthens conservation insurance policies, enforces safety measures and commits enough sources to sustaining the buildings, stakeholders within the constructed surroundings have warned.
At a seminar organised by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Lagos Island Cell, stakeholders known as on the Lagos State Government to maneuver past assurances and undertake deliberate measures to guard heritage buildings, describing them as irreplaceable data of the state’s historical past and beneficial examples of sturdy building.
The seminar, themed “Preserving Lagos Island Heritage Building,” was held on the historic Olusi Palace, a construction that has stood for greater than a century and served as each a royal residence and a venue for resolving group disputes in the course of the colonial period.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Olumide Abiodun, reaffirmed the federal government’s dedication to preserving the state’s heritage buildings, however pressured that efficient conservation should start with recognising their historic and architectural significance.
“One cannot preserve what one does not believe in. I think the first challenge is for us to go back and understand what these important heritage structures are. If you understand the importance of these edifices, you start thinking about how to preserve them,” he mentioned.
Abiodun mentioned historic buildings must be integrated into academic actions, notably for college students of structure, constructing and engineering, who might research the development strategies which have enabled older buildings to outlive for many years.
He described Olusi Palace as an necessary monument that shouldn’t be allowed to vanish, urging faculties and tertiary establishments to show college students to its historic and architectural worth.
The commissioner’s dedication comes amid considerations raised on the seminar over the lack of historic buildings and the necessity for simpler authorities intervention to forestall additional demolitions.
Former BCPG President, Dr Kunle Awobodu, mentioned the survival of Olusi Palace for greater than 90 years, regardless of publicity to coastal environmental situations, demonstrated the worth of sound building practices and the necessity to protect buildings with confirmed sturdiness.
He mentioned the palace’s structure and building strategies deserved recognition as a monument for future generations, notably at a time when considerations over constructing high quality and structural failures have intensified.
Awobodu urged stakeholders to advertise the sustainability of such buildings, noting that their preservation would supply sensible classes for professionals and college students within the constructed surroundings.
The royal host and elder statesman, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, mentioned the seminar ought to mark a turning level within the authorities’s method to heritage conservation, insisting that the duty for shielding historic buildings should not be left to personal homeowners and households alone.
He mentioned the palace, constructed almost a century in the past utilizing specialised building strategies, demonstrated the significance of normal upkeep and long-term planning.
“Nigeria does not lack maintenance; rather, what we need is to increase our ability for maintenance. Though we are trying our best in that regard, governments need to do more,” Olusi mentioned.
He urged the federal government to strengthen its dedication to sustaining heritage buildings, arguing that their continued existence was important to preserving Lagos’s historic identification.
The Coordinator of BCPG Lagos Island Cell, Mr Mubarak Gbaja-Biamila, mentioned authorities intervention was notably necessary as a result of some historic buildings had been demolished regardless of earlier preservation efforts.
He mentioned Olusi Palace, additionally recognized as an Iga, had remained standing for greater than a century, whereas different heritage buildings had disappeared.
Gbaja-Biamila blamed the lack of some historic buildings on demolitions by members of the family and known as for stronger authorities motion to guard surviving monuments.
“Governments are trying, but they need to do more in preserving these iconic heritages. In the past, the government tried, but family members came and demolished those heritages,” he mentioned.
He urged the authorities to make sure that historic buildings had been protected and maintained as a part of Lagos’s heritage and made accessible for academic functions.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory, Engr Olayinka Adio, additionally known as for a extra deliberate authorities coverage on heritage conservation, notably on Lagos Island, which was a serious administrative centre in the course of the colonial period.
Adio mentioned the preservation of historic monuments required a sustained dedication from authorities, warning that insufficient upkeep might undermine efforts to guard the state’s architectural heritage.
The stakeholders known as for stronger conservation measures, improved upkeep and better public consciousness to forestall additional losses.
They mentioned the Lagos State Government should translate its dedication into sustained motion by prioritising heritage buildings in city planning, strengthening safety in opposition to avoidable demolition and making certain that surviving buildings are maintained for future generations.
