Lagos State government has given reasons for revoking permits given to ongoing building projects across the state. The state says the action is aimed at enforcing safety standards in construction.
The government’s action followed the collapse of a building still under construction in the Maryland area of the state that killed five construction workers and injured many others.
Olajide Babatunde, special adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on e-GIS and Urban Development, gave the explanation during a visit to the scene of the collapse incident in the company of Gbolahun Oki, general manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).
Babatunde ordered builders of new projects to reapply for validation of the permits given to them, stressing that it has become necessary for owners of ongoing building projects to revalidate their documents with LASBCA, warning that non-compliance would lead to site closures.
“All commencement certifications in Lagos are revoked effective immediately. This applies to everyone with a construction site, including those in the Big Five category. Return to the LASBCA office to revalidate that document. If you decide not to go for the revalidation, we are going to seal your site,” he warned.
Lagos has seen many building collapse incidents in the last seven months of the year. There were five building collapse cases in Lagos between January and May 2024.
Building Collapse Prevention Guild says 326 buildings collapsed in Lagos in 49 years to 2023.
According to stakeholders in the state’s built environment, the Maryland collapse was “one incident too many.”
Besides the loss of lives which is too costly to bear, investments are also lost and that literally makes the state’s real estate sector too unsafe to attract new investments, especially from foreign interests.
These collapse incidents, according to Babatunde, shouldn’t have happened because they were avoidable. He blamed property owners and developers for negligence and also for violating building regulations despite the state government’s preventive measures.
He said that it was important for builders to obtain a Certificate of Completion or Fitness for Habitation before giving out their buildings for occupation, warning that the government would prosecute anyone violating this rule.
As part of measures to prevent future collapses, the special adviser announced that LASBCA would increase enforcement efforts, including using private consultants to inspect buildings, disclosing that the agency had already taken steps such as issuing stop-work orders and sealing buildings despite facing challenges from limited resources and hostile developers.
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He solicited collaboration from professionals with the government to strengthen regulation enforcement in the state.
Oki highlighted the agency’s response to the recent building collapse, assuring that it would conduct comprehensive inspections in the affected estate and demolish unsafe structures. He stressed the need for rigorous inspections and approvals due to the area’s poor soil conditions.
“All construction sites must have a full team of professionals to ensure adherence to building codes,” he said, adding that the agency would ensure strict enforcement of construction hours and prohibit on-site sleeping to improve workers’ safety.
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