The Lagos State Government, on Sunday, threatened to seize distressed and structurally defective buildings across the state from their owners and developers if failed to demolish such buildings.
The move followed last Wednesday’s collapse of a building on Massey Street, Ita-faji, Lagos Island, in which about 14 people, including school pupils, lost their lives and several others critically injured.
Meanwhile, the state government, through its agency, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) is this week beginning controlled demolition of buildings earlier marked as distressed but still standing and posing danger to their occupants and adjourning property.
Building collapse is a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s commercial city of Lagos, and has led to the death of several persons while properties worth billions of naira have also been destroyed in the process in the last one decade.
Rotimi Ogunleye, the state commissioner for physical planning and urban development, who issued warning to property owners at the weekend, said all buildings marked must be vacated and pulled down or forfeited to the government.
While commiserating with families of victims of the latest collapse, Ogunleye called for the co-operation of members of the public in ridding the state of distressed structures.
He pointed out that the ministry had identified 149 distressed and defective buildings in different parts of the state of which 40 had been demolished in the first phase, adding that 38 others were slated for the second phase prior to last week’s unfortunate incident.
“In some instances where the owners and occupiers have been duly served with statutory notices and evacuated, people secretly return to re-occupy the buildings despite the sealing of the structures by the Lagos State Building Control Agency,” he said.
The commissioner said LASBCA would step up the
ongoing removal of the affected buildings, adding that all parts of the state would be reached.
He warned that the state would invoke section 74 of the urban and regional planning and development law on forfeiture against any owner or developer whose negligence leads to building collapse.
According to him, the ministry held meetings with various ministries, departments and agencies to embark on a holistic response to the present and future challenges posed by illegal developments and siting of unapproved schools.
In attendance were the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State
Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and officials of the Ministry of Education.
JOSHUA BASSEY
