Lagos set to demolish distressed 2-storey building in Ajangbadi

The Lagos State Government has earmarked a distressed two-storey building in Ajangbadi area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria for demolition.

The government, through its agency the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has issued seven-day ultimatum to the owner of the building to demolish it himself or the government would do the demolition with the owner of the property bearing the cost.

The government has already evacuated occupants of the building and restated its zero tolerance stance on distressed and prone to collapse buildings in the State.

General Manager, LASBCA, Engr. Olalekan Shodeinde, during a sensitisation tour of Ajangbadi, in Ojo Local Government on Thursday, said that the building was distressed and prone to collapse at any time, hence the need for evacuation of its occupants and demolition of the structure.

He stated that the distressed building situated at Teslim Street, off Aka road Ajangbadi in Ojo area of Lagos was identified by the agency and that despite several statutory sealed up and removal notices served by the agency since August, 2017, the owner had refused to do anything about it.

Shodeinde stated that the partial collapse building would be demolished sooner than later for the safety of residents around the place to prevent loss of lives and valuable properties, adding that some distress buildings had been identified and marked by the agency in some areas within the Lagos metropolis while all resident in the distress buildings had been evacuated immediately by the agency to avert any loss of lives and properties.

The LASBCA boss added that the present administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode aimed to achieve zero tolerance to incidence of building collapse and had therefore given owners of distress buildings to demolish the buildings or risk being demolished by the Agency at a cost the building owners would bear in accordance with the Lagos State Physical and Urban Planning Development Law 2010.

“The seven days ultimatum given to the various owners is done within the ambit of the law with a view to ensuring better physical environment for sustainable development. Sustainable physical development requires the participation of every Lagosians, whose interests are affected and where co-operations are necessary for successful implementation of the existing laws and regulations,” he said.

He emphasised that no responsible government would watch her citizen die avoidable careless death without taking precautionary measure to stop it, lamenting that people had shown disregard for the state laws on building construction in the past which the resultant effect worrisome.

Consequently, the Baale of Ajangbadi, Chief Murisiku Teslimon said all effort were being put in place to make sure that the building owner complied with the state government directive.

In a related development, one of the residents of the area, Mrs Mary Ogor added that it was an eyesore that the building might come down anytime.