The Ogun State Government has urged members of the public to volunteer information on unethical building standards capable of leading to the loss of lives and destruction of property.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tunji Odunlami, said this at a press briefing, noting that the state government would only be able to put an end to untimely deaths as a result of building collapse if such unethical practices by building owners and developers were brought to the notice of the government.
Odunlami’s statement was a reaction to the recent building collapse that occurred at Iperu in the Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.
The commissioner said a committee set up by the governor will shield the identity of anyone who comes forward to volunteer vital information.
He added that the sitting of the committee had commenced at the conference room of the ministry and it planned to shift its sitting to the site of the collapsed building at Iperu on Wednesday, March 23, 2022.
Odunlami stated, “We want to appeal to the residents of Ogun State that our eyes cannot see everywhere, but your eyes can see everywhere and your ears can hear things in your neighbourhood.
“Anytime you see strange things happening and some people are trying to cover up, just raise the alarm and let us know so that we can act accordingly.
“We call on members of the public from that neighbourhood, who may have information on the incident, to assist this committee. Feel free to approach us; the committee is given one week from today to submit its report and its sittings will be held both in this conference room on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, and at the site of the building collapse at Iperu on Wednesday, March 23, 2020.”
While denying that the state government only took the Iperu building collapse very seriously because it happened in the governor’s hometown, Odunlami said the government was poised to put an end to illegal building practices that could be detrimental to the lives of the people.
He stated, “The response to the collapse wasn’t because the collapsed building happened in the governor’s town, but because such a swift response was the responsibility of the government.
“I think it doesn’t matter if it happened in the governor’s town. Iperu is a town in Ogun State; it is just by chance that it happened in the town. Wherever that had happened in the past, we had always responded swiftly. I hope you can recollect when a school building collapsed in Imeko-Afon, that was not the governor’s town, but the governor immediately dispatched a team to the scene.
“So, anytime we hear something like that, we go there, even in the recent past when a building got burnt in Totoro, Abeokuta, it wasn’t the governor’s town, we immediately did the needful. Our action on the collapsed building is a show of responsibility.”
He urged members of the public to reach the committee through 08055377328, 08035028077 and 08023151208.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
