By: Agande Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen | 📰 Stone Reporter News
The Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL) has unveiled a new initiative enlisting women as key partners in the fight against building collapse across the state — a problem that has claimed lives and disrupted communities in recent years.
Speaking during a plenary session themed “Women as Partners in Ensuring Safe and Secure Communities through Construction Materials Testing” at the COWLSO 2025 National Women’s Conference, the General Manager of LSMTL, Engr. Olayinka Abdul, called on women to serve as the state’s frontline sentinels in identifying and preventing unsafe construction practices.
“The safety of the built environment is not just an engineering issue — it is a community and family issue,” Engr. Abdul said. “Every building collapse is a profound tragedy where lives are lost, families are shattered, and communities are devastated. The root cause often lies beneath the surface in the use of substandard materials. We cannot build a Greater Lagos on a weak foundation.”
She described substandard materials as an “invisible enemy” — citing weak concrete, brittle steel, poor soil, and saline water as major contributors to structural failure.
The LSMTL boss underscored the agency’s role as the state’s scientific guardian, responsible for testing, certifying, and enforcing material standards to ensure safety and sustainability in construction.
“Our work helps identify early signs of danger — spalling, cracks, and dampness on walls — which often go unnoticed until they cause collapse,” she explained.
Engr. Abdul emphasised that women, as caregivers, organisers, and community leaders, play an essential role in safeguarding their neighbourhoods.
“You are not expected to be engineers,” she noted. “You are our community sentinels. You have the power to ask questions and demand answers about ongoing construction around you — whether the soil, concrete, and steel have been tested and certified by LSMTL. If you notice irregularities, report them through the agency’s dedicated channels.”
She added that collective vigilance, combined with professional oversight, is crucial to eradicating structural failures and ensuring the safety of all Lagos residents.
The session ended with a renewed commitment from participants to collaborate with the Lagos State Government in promoting the use of certified materials and ensuring a safer built environment for all.
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