The Lagos State Government has sealed more than 60 buildings in Ikoyi, Eti-Osa, Ogudu, Amuwo Odofin, Maryland and Iba areas for contravening building control laws. The ongoing enforcement exercise is part of the government’s effort to rid the state of illegal and non-conforming structures.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by the Head, Public Relations Unit of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mrs Adetayo Akitoye-Asagba, who said the buildings were sealed for different contraventions including failure to respond to statutory notices served, non-conformity with approved drawings and absence of certified professionals on-site amongst others.
Akitoye-Asagba revealed that during a recent monitoring exercise, 3 distressed structures were identified and consequently sealed in Maryland and Iba areas of Lagos in order to avert any incident.
LASBCA explains why it carried out the exercise
Akitoye-Asagba explained that non-response to notices served by LASBCA and the continued unlawful construction of property in violation of the physical planning and building control laws of the state led to the enforcement exercise.
She appealed to developers and owners of property undergoing construction across the state to visit any of the Agency’s offices located in all Local Government/Local Council Development Areas of the State, as well as urged residents to visit the Agency’s website for necessary information about the status of their buildings.
The LASBCA Spokesperson reiterated the readiness of the Agency to ensure proper inspection and certification at various stages of building construction and verification of all Risk and Building Insurance Policies, asserting that the Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance activities of its operatives will be extended to all parts of the State.
She said, “These enforcement activities will be extended to all areas of the State as we will not relent in our efforts to identify and remove non-conforming, illegal and distressed buildings in any part of the Lagos metropolis.’’
What you should know
The Lagos State Government has in recent times embarked on the demolition and sealing off of properties across the state for breaching the state’s physical planning laws and lack of approval from the relevant authorities.
The state government has always asked developers and property owners to ensure they get approval from the relevant state authorities before going ahead with their construction in order not to distort the state’s physical planning masterplan.
Also, the state government is applying stricter controls and regulations for property developers due to increasing cases of collapsed buildings which have claimed many lives in the state.
