The Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Ikoyi–Obalende Cell, has urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritize the rehabilitation of the abandoned Old Federal Government Secretariat and Ikoyi Towers in Lagos, citing mounting environmental and safety risks.
In an open letter signed by coordinator Bola Arilesere, an architect, and Secretary Adebola Adeyera, the guild warned that prolonged neglect of these structures poses significant hazards while urging swift government action.
Built in 1976, the 12-storey Old Federal Secretariat at Ikoyi was largely abandoned in 1991 after federal operations moved to Abuja. A 1993 proposal to convert the complex into residential housing for approximately 480 families was never realized.
The adjacent Ikoyi Towers—three 12-storey buildings constructed in 1978—have stood vacant since 2005, according to public records.
The properties occupy separate parcels: the Old Federal Secretariat sits on roughly 120,000 square metres, while the Ikoyi Towers cover about 12,140.569 square metres of prime Ikoyi real estate.
Despite various attempts by past administrations to address their status, the properties remain underutilized, disappointing Lagos residents who view them as important public infrastructure.
BCPG estimates the combined value of both assets at approximately N12.608 trillion (around $9.3 billion) based on 2025 market comparisons. The guild calculates that continued vacancy represents foregone revenue of about N93.5 billion annually for the Federal Government, based on conservative rental yield projections for comparable Ikoyi properties.
“Beyond financial considerations, prolonged abandonment has contributed to progressive structural deterioration, escalating rehabilitation costs, and avoidable safety risks to security personnel, informal users, neighbouring residents, and workers within the surrounding urban corridor,” the group stated.
BCPG also highlighted increasing threats from vandals and scrap metal thieves who target abandoned structures nationwide, stripping valuable components and accelerating decay.
The advocacy group noted that on May 25, 2024—the first anniversary of President Tinubu’s tenure—it issued a press release flagging the deteriorating condition of these buildings. BCPG members in Lekki have praised the transformative impact of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Road project on housing and urban development, and the guild believes similar regeneration could occur in Ikoyi through restoration of the secretariat and towers.
“Our sole demand is the restoration of active use to these national monuments, which we are confident will generate significant economic and social benefits for Nigeria,” the letter stated.
The guild called on the president to leverage his influence to transform decades of underutilization into opportunity through rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, emphasizing that such action would enhance public safety, restore confidence in federal infrastructure management, and establish a precedent for sustainable asset utilization nationwide.
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