CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS’ PERCEPTIONS OF BUILDING-CONTROL ENFORCEMENT BARRIERS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Purpose: Collapse of buildings is a recurring problem in Nigeria, with over 640 instances reported between 1974 and 2025 accounting for significant loss of lives and property. Regulatory failures still occur despite the provisions of the National Building Code (2006) and the creation of state-level building control agencies. This study examines construction professionals’ perceptions of the barriers to effective building-control enforcement in Lagos State, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Data were collected from 615 construction professionals across five professional categories using paper-based and online (Google Forms) questionnaires. Ten barriers to building-control enforcement were rated using a 5-point Likert scale. The perceived barriers were ranked by the weighted mean score, and differences in perceptions across professional categories were examined by the chi-square test of association. Findings: The most important barriers were political interference in regulatory processes (M = 4.29, SD = 0.712) and corruption among enforcement officers (M = 4.28, SD = 0.754). This was followed by limited manpower at regulatory agencies (M = 4.21, SD = 0.778), poor inter-agency coordination (M = 4.16, SD = 0.812) and insufficient funding to regulatory agencies (M = 4.13, SD = 0.831). Nine of the ten barriers were found to be statistically significant between professions (p < .05) by Chi-square analysis. Research limitations/Implications: The study is based on perceptions of construction professionals in Lagos State and does not measure actual regulatory performance, but rather their professional perception of construction enforcement barriers. This should therefore be seen in the context of the institutional and regulatory framework of Lagos State. Practical implications: The findings indicate the need to strengthen the institutional capacity and autonomy of building-control agencies, improve inter-agency coordination, enhance manpower and funding, and strengthen mechanisms for monitoring and enforcement. Digital monitoring systems, ongoing professional capacity building and suitable penalties could be applied to further enhance compliance with building-control requirements. Originality/value – The study presents empirical evidence based on perceptions to show the institutional and governance challenges facing the enforcement of building control in Lagos State. It highlights that regulatory shortcomings are believed to be mainly at the governance and implementation level, not in the regulatory framework itself, thereby offering evidence that can be used when reconsidering regulations to enhance the building-control enforcement system and minimise building failure risk.