Safety Group Demands Immediate Action on Deteriorating Yaba School Building

A community safety organization has issued an urgent appeal to Lagos State authorities to address a severely compromised school structure in Yaba before tragedy strikes.

The Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Yaba Cell, is pressing the Lagos State Government to take decisive action regarding a deteriorating three-storey classroom block at Mainland Senior High School on Onayade Street, Fadeyi, which poses serious risks to students and staff.

The structure, currently unoccupied, was officially designated as distressed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in April 2019. The advocacy group expressed alarm that more than six years have passed without resolution.

In correspondence to the state education commissioner signed by BCPG Yaba Cell Coordinator Bayo Ogunrinde and General Secretary Funmi Olaitan, obtained by The Guardian, the organization referenced the tragic 2019 Ita-Faaji building collapse that claimed approximately 20 students’ lives.

“Following the death of about 20 pupils in a five-storey building that collapsed at 63, Massey Street, Ita-Faaji, Lagos Island in March 2019, the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory embarked on non-destructive structural tests of school buildings,” the letter stated. “The consequence of indecision could be fatal.”

The group noted that the Ita-Faaji building had also been tested and marked distressed before receiving renovation attempts that ultimately failed to prevent its catastrophic collapse.

Recent assessments by BCPG have documented extensive damage to the Mainland Senior High School building, including a damaged roof, deteriorated concrete on beams and slabs, and exposed, corroded reinforcement bars.

During a December 4, 2025 inspection involving BCPG representatives, LASBCA officials, and Oba Owolabi Adeyemi Adeniyi, the Onisabe of Igbobi-Sabe, investigators found the building had degraded below acceptable standards outlined in the National Building Code of Nigeria.

“Unfortunately, there was free access to the classrooms of the distressed building without solid restrictions. An ordinary caution tape would not be a barrier to dissuade playful school children,” the organization reported. “The building, though unoccupied, is dangerously close to other buildings being used as classrooms and offices.”

BCPG drew parallels to the recent January 15, 2026 classroom building collapse at Odokekere High School in Ikorodu, characterizing it as a warning of potential disaster at the Fadeyi school.

“Kindly bear in mind that a device that can effectively predict the exact time a building will collapse is yet to be invented, thereby making uncertainty a prevailing factor,” the coordinator cautioned, also referencing a previous two-storey school building collapse at Federal Technical College in Yaba and a September 2025 incident at 335 Borno Way, Alagomeji that killed five people.

The advocacy group is calling on authorities to move beyond bureaucratic delays and immediately secure the compromised structure with proper hoarding while determining its final disposition.

“Safety in school premises must be a priority of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency,” BCPG emphasized. “Prevention is superior to managing building collapse crises. The Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory should not rest on its oars in verifying the integrity of school buildings.”