Scores of persons were feared injured following a reported case of partially collapsed building on Lagos Island, on Monday, as the Lagos State government is continuing the demolition of distressed and defective buildings in the state.
So far, 17 of such buildings have been demolished since last Wednesday when a three-storey building collapse on Massey Street, Lagos Island. Yesterday, four buildings were brought down as the exercise continues today. The buildings include those at 2, Olushi Street, by Swamp, 3 Obadina Street, 30A, Isale Agbede Street, and 36, Islale Agbde Street, all in Lagos Island.
Officials of the state government, including Razak Musibau, director, Lagos State Fire Services, and Muyiwa Tiamiyu, general manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), however, denied knowledge of a fresh building collapse on the island yesterday.
Recall that a three-storey building on Massey Street, Ita-faaji, Lagos Island, collapsed on Wednesday, March 13, killing about 18 persons, including school pupils while several others were critically injured.
Both officials said the report of ‘another building collapse on Monday (yesterday) was not exactly true, as it had to do with a building that was being demolished by an enforcement team of the state government.
Over 100 buildings identified to be in distress condition and structurally defective are being demolished in phases by the state government in what is aimed at averting accidental collapse and loss of lives.
“All I can say is that officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) are continuing the demolition of distressed buildings earlier marked for demolition. I have called my own staff on the field and they said there was no fresh case of building collapse.
a few people got wounded as the demolition of the distressed building was going on and they have been taken to the hospital for treatment,” said Tiamiyu.
Speaking also to BusinessDay, Musibau, the state director of fire service, dismissed any fresh case of building collapse saying “I am not aware of another case of building collapse.”
It was gathered that the injured were workers pulling iron rods and other reusable materials from the rubble of the demolished building at 57, Egerton Square, Oke Arin, Lagos Island.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) said about 13 distressed buildings have so far been demolished by the enforcement team as March 17, 2019.
The agency said the exercising was ongoing one and would continue across the state until all identified distressed and defective buildings are taken down.
Rotimi Ogunleye, the state commissioner for physical planning and urban development on Sunday warned developers and owners of distressed buildings to demolish them of forfeit such properties to the government.
He said his ministry identified 149 distressed and defective buildings in different parts of the state of which 40 had been demolished in the first phase while 38 were slated for the second phase prior to last week’s collapse on Massey Street.
“In some instances where the owners and occupiers have been duly served with statutory notices and evacuated, people secretly returned to re-occupy the buildings despite the sealing of the structures by the Lagos State Building Control Agency,” he said.
JOSHUA BASSEY
