Lagos Marks Nine Buildings For Demolition

In a bid to stem the spate at which buildings collapse in the state, the Lagos State  Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Agency (LASPPDA) has marked nine buildings  discovered to be weak for demolition.

It has also pencilled down five other buildings for test to determine their standard.

This action is coming on the heels of the collapse of two buildings in the state  recently.

The General Manager of the State Physical Planning and Development Agency (LASPPDA), Dr.  Oke Osanyintolu, recently disclosed this to newsmen while on an inspection of a collapsed  building at Alli Street, Lagos Island.

He said the state government will no longer fold its arms and allow such tragedy to  continue.

Among the structures that are meant to be demolished include 20, 22, 24, 26/28 Alli  Street, 4A and 9A Obe Street and 11, 13, 15 Obadina Street, all in Tinubu/Itafaji areas  of Lagos Island.

Others that have been marked for tests are 17 Obadina Street, 30, 32, 23 and 25 Alli  Street where the Lagos State House correspondent of the Nigerian Observer Newspaper,  Raheem Ibrahim, resides on the Island.

According to Osanyintolu, the state government had continuously warned landlords whose  houses are not properly constructed or whose houses are weak due to the long time of  construction to renovate them since two years ago.

“Since they have failed to comply with the advice, rules and regulations of the state  government, we cannot allow such incidents to continue where lives and properties are  lost,” he declared.

He added that: “All deficient structures in this state will not be left behind so as not  to leave any stone unturned.

“It is not only this area that will be affected, other places on the Island where such  structures are situated will be touched.”

Reacting to the reason why the collapsed building and two others that are marked for  demolition were left untouched before the incident, Osanyintolu said he was not in  position to answer the question.

According to him: “It is the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Renewal that  can respond to it, because I am here only on rescue mission.”

—By Eromosele Ebhomele