Lagos Shuts Down 1,800 Houses

The Lagos State Government says it has shut 1,800 buildings across the state in southwest Nigeria for violating town planning laws.

General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, Abimbola Animashaun, disclosed this on Tuesday while the agency was demolishing  a distressed building on 27, Willoughby Street, Ebute Metta.

According to her, the government has sealed 1,800 buildings in the metropolis for either being distressed or not having building approval or Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, saying that many of the affected property owners have refused to come forward to do the needful for the re-opening of their properties.

“Some of the property owners have removed our seal and we are taking action on those that refused to do the necessary things for their properties to be re-opened,” she said, adding that government would soon start demolishing such structures before they killed people, adding that government was ready to prosecute defaulters.

“Builders must follow the laws and comply with the urban and regional planning laws. They should come to us for advice as we don’t want them to jeopardise the lives of the people that will live in such houses,” she said.

On the demolition of distressed buildings, she said 30 buildings have been marked for demolition in Ebute Metta, and that five of the buildings would be demolished in the next two days, while the remaining would be demolished after the result of their integrity tests was out.

“We have marked these buildings since July 2013. This building that is being demolished now was marked since July and the people continued to live inside it. It is only when they saw us today that they started to remove their belongings, eventhough we have been here several times to warn them.

“We have marked 30 buildings for demolition . These buildings are on Simpson Street, Borno Way and the rest. We expect people whose houses are marked for demolition to leave immediately,” she stated.

Very early Tuesday morning, LASBC bulldozer stormed the distressed 3-storey building on Willoughby Street, Ebute Metta and began demolishing the building while occupants of the building had to leave hurriedly.

Thousands of residents were seen watching the exercise, while a team of armed policemen were on hand to prevent any break down of law and order.

Last Friday, the government demolished an uncompleted two-storey building whose owner did not build according to approved plan and sealed off four others at Oshodi area of Lagos.

LASBCA officials stormed the uncompleted building located at Ireti Oluwa Street with a bulldozer and immediately began demolition of the structure being built to be used as a plaza.

Another two-storey plaza, Timmy Arojojoye Shopping Complex was sealed off by LASBCA officials for erecting the structure without approved plan from government while those selling in the complex were chased away.

A two-storey building undergoing construction at  42,  Boladale Street, Oshodi was sealed off by the government as the developer had no approved plan.

The building had earlier been shut but the developer broke the seal and continued work.

A distressed two-storey building on 29, Boladale Street was also sealed off by the government while a mosque on the same street was shut for not having approved building plan.

Animashaun, who supervised the demolition of the building in Oshodi said the owner of the structure actually got approval from the state government before erecting the structure, but said the owner did not follow the approved plan giving to him by the government.

She explained that the developer supposed to have left behind 15 metres space in front of the building and three metres by the side of the building before erecting the building, saying that the developer took over the 15 metres and the three metres, thus breaching the approved plan.

She added that the materials used in constructing the building were substandard as the slabs used for the decking were too tiny, warning that government could longer watch developers using inferior materials to erect structures.

“We also want to ensure that people giving building approval do not alter the approval giving to them. They must abide by the approved plan issued by the government in constructing their buildings.

“There are also some people who did not obtain Certificate of Occupancy, C of O and approved building plan, yet, they erect their structures in flagrant disregard to government’s laws,” she stated.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga