The General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency, Gbolahan Oki, has decried the alarming rate of defective structures in different parts of Lagos Island, noting that the agency will synchronise efforts with other agencies to rid the state of distressed structures.
A statement by LASBCA signed by its head of Public Affairs, Adetayo Asagba, said Oki made the pledge while leading the enforcement gang of the agency on an inspection of buildings in some parts of Lagos Island on Thursday.
According to the statement, the agency also issued abatement notices to some non-confirming structures in the areas visited.
Oki warned inhabitants of physically distressed structures to refrain from seeking additional time before vacating such dwellings as such structures could cave in at any moment.
He said, “Our emphasis has always been that whenever you discover that a particular building is distressed, what is expected of you is to vacate such building immediately without waiting for any prompting from government officials because a distressed building will not give warning before it collapses.”
He said that although the demolition team of the agency was usually faced with the challenge of accessing some areas with the demolition caterpillar, the agency would continue to explore other available options to ensure that all marked distressed structures were safely brought down.
Oki disclosed that the agency had demolished over 20 distressed buildings in the last three months from different parts of the state, assuring that others already marked for demolition would also be pulled down.
The general manager, during the enforcement exercise, identified other five defective structures located at 25 and 26 Koilo Street, 26 Atiko along Koilo, for demolition, saying that the buildings were not befitting of the status of the state in addition to the danger which they posed to the occupiers.
Oki engaged the residents of the identified buildings, including the occupants of Right Of Ways, to salvage their valuables within the next two weeks before the structures would be pulled down.
Oki who had earlier paid a visit to the palace of Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu to seek the consent of the traditional ruler on the enforcement exercise, told the traditional ruler that the intention of the state government was to ensure that there was sanity across the state and also protect the lives and properties of Lagosians.
Oba Akiolu, in his remarks during the visit, pledged his support to the government and pleaded for a more holistic approach to building control activities by nipping them in the bud before they posed threat or constituted public nuisance.
He charged LASBCA to increase its staff strength in order to intensify its regulatory activities to cover the entire expanse of Lagos State. This, he said, would help to identify faulty structures early enough before they were constructed to completion.
During the enforcement exercise, some buildings under construction as well as those at various stages of renovations were sealed by the agency. The affected buildings were located at 45, Enuowa Street; 42, Ricca Street, and Iga Idugaran Street, all in Lagos Island.
