Legal and Regulatory Compliance Framework for Sustainable Infrastructure Development: Mitigating Construction Liability and Enhancing Safety Standards at Auchi Polytechnic

Sustainable infrastructure development in Nigerian polytechnic institutions is often hindered by weak legal and regulatory compliance, inadequate enforcement of the National Building Code, poor occupational health and safety practices, and limited awareness of construction liability frameworks. These challenges contribute to safety risks, financial liabilities, and substandard infrastructure that adversely affect educational service delivery. This study evaluated the legal and regulatory compliance framework governing infrastructure development at Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, Nigeria. Specifically, it assessed compliance awareness, identified key barriers to compliance, examined liability exposure, and proposed a framework for improving compliance and reducing construction-related risks. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with data collected from 203 respondents comprising construction professionals, institutional administrators, technical staff, and student union representatives. Data were analysed using frequency distributions, Likert-scale mean scores, and chi-square statistics. The study was anchored on Regulatory Compliance Theory and the sustainability framework for infrastructure management. Findings revealed that only 61.4% of respondents were aware of the National Building Code, while just 19.8% reported compliance beyond minimum requirements. Weak institutional enforcement (71.4%) and client-driven cost-cutting (62.1%) emerged as the major barriers to compliance. Occupational health and safety recorded the lowest adequacy rating (mean = 2.87), falling below the acceptable threshold of 3.50. Chi-square analysis showed a significant relationship between compliance culture and site incident rates (χ² = 41.87, p < 0.001), with lowcompliance sites reporting substantially higher incidents. The study concludes that the existing compliance framework is inadequate, particularly in occupational health, safety, and environmental management. A six-pillar Institutional Compliance Framework is proposed, encompassing policy and regulation, contractual liability management, occupational health and safety, environmental compliance, procurement governance, and monitoring and enforcement.