Lagos to demolish unapproved buildings after amnesty period —Official

The Lagos State Government has restated that it will demolish buildings without proper approvals after the expiration of the 90 days amnesty window to get them legalized expires.

Mr. Olaoye Olusegun, office Public Affairs Unit, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) said this on Wednesday in Lagos.

He quoted the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr Olajide Babatunde, as saying this at a workshop organised by the agency on Tuesday in Ikeja.

He said that the workshop was centered on “Understanding Building Control in Lagos State”, and was put together to address salient issues and misconceptions about the activities of the Agency.

Babajide said this was so as it related to issuance of certifications and the importance of insurance in the built industry.

He said that there was the need for every building in the state to have the certificate of Completion and fitness for habitation as well as an insurance policy that could be relied on during disaster period, such as fire incidents.

He said: ”As a step towards reduction in building collapse in the state, no building should be occupied in the state without possessing the Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation issued by the State Building Control Agency, which is renewable every five years”.

He reiterated the governor’s directives to owners of buildings with attachments to remove them immediately.

Babatunde said that such attachments would not be allowed in the state, as they hindered rescue operations during emergencies.

He noted that the state government through the Lagos State Building Control Agency had taken proactive measures to alert owners of distressed buildings in the state to pull them down.

According to him, the state government published in three national dailies, 359 distressed buildings across the state, with over 90 per cent of such buildings pulled down by the owners to avoid disaster.

Olaoye also quoted the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-governmental Relations, Mr Gbenga Oyerinde, and his Counterpart at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Olayinka Olumide, as speaking on the Dosunmu fire incident.

They disclosed that enumeration and collation of victims had been concluded, adding that soon, the state government would make a pronouncement on the level of assistance that would be given to all the victims of the fire incident.

Speaking earlier, the General Manager, LASBCA, Mr. Gbolahan Oki, said that the importance of the workshop was to clear grey areas on the operations of LASBCA and how to go about getting the necessary certifications issued by the agency.

Oki called on building owners in the state to do the right thing, saying that it is cheaper to do the right thing and obey all extant rules and regulations governing the building and construction industry in the state.

He said that at the expiration of the governor’s amnesty period, the agency would go all out to request for details such as certificate for fitness and habitation issued by the State Building Control after meeting all necessary requirements and certificate of building insurance.

He advised developers to build according to specifications and the approval or permits given.

Mr. Yemi Solajoye, an insurance consultant, spoke on the need for every building in the state to take insurance cover against any disaster, especially building collapse or fire outbreak.

He called for compulsory enforcement of insurance on buildings by owners in Lagos state as a way to mitigate against losses during emergency periods.

Mr. Fuad Oki, a retired Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, called for a more enlarged engagement with the public, especially at the grassroots where building regulations’ infraction regularly takes place.

 

FCTA demolishes illegal shanties in Wuse Zone 3

The Department of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council of the FCT Administration, has demolished shanties illegally built on a road corridor in Wuse Zone 3.

The Coordinator of the Council, Mr Felix Obuah, told journalists after the exercise in Abuja on Wednesday, that the move was part of efforts to clear all shanties in the city.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the shanties, called by the occupants as Unguwan Yan Lambu, were built over 27 years ago.

The shanties have been demolished several times but were rebuilt by the occupants.

Obuah said that the location was preserved for a road corridor, adding that the illegal occupation has became a security threat, apart from defacing the beauty of the city.

“Also disturbing is that criminals and miscreants have made this location a safe haven.

“So, we decided to come and clear all the shanties and remove the criminals that have taken over the road corridor to give Abuja its desired beauty.

“We can’t allow this again. Our aim is to beautify the city and make Abuja a city we will all be proud of,” he said.

He added that a taskforce would be set up to make sure that none of the illegal occupants rebuild any shanty in the area again.

He also announced plans to relocate the occupants to a permanent location to ensure that no one returns.

“We are going to write a memo to the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to seek his approval and see how far we can go about the relocation plan.

“From what we can see, there are huge numbers of people illegally residing here. So, if we can relocate them within a very short possible time, they will not come back here again.

“We are also going to make provisions to make sure that they do not suffer undue hardship.

“You see, some of the occupants are very young; some with children, and out of my pocket, I have donated a small amount of money to enable them to relocate immediately.

“If we don’t take this measure now, they will go to another place and create nuisance,” Obuah said.

Responding to the development, Malam Mohammed Musa, the chairman of the community, said that the area was occupied by about 1,000 people, including women and children.

Musa said that the occupants, predominantly dry season farmers, have been there for about 27 years, with some made up of 15 family members.

He acknowledged receiving a notice of the demolition and thanked the government for allowing them to stay there for over 27 years and to make a living in dry season farming.

He, however, called on the FCT Administration to come to their aid, adding that some of them were displaced from their homes by bandits and other forms of insecurity.

 

For a better society

—————————————————————–

Kindly follow us across all our social media platforms to stay up-to-date with the latest news and happenings in Nigeria and across the globe.

Facebook – https://facebook.com/championnewsonline

Instagram – https://instagram.com/championnewsonline

Twitter– @championnewsng