17th March, 2019
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Government intensified its demolition of distressed buildings on Lagos Island with 13 structures pulled down in the last three days.
Eighty distressed buildings have been earmarked for demolition by the State Government following last Wednesday’s collapse of a three-storey building at Ita Faji area of Lagos Island, with 20 people, majorly children killed.
Officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, escorted by armed police officers stormed some parts of Lagos Island on Sunday and demolished five distressed buildings.
The exercise was led by the Acting General Manager, LASBCA, Omotayo Fakoluju and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mrs Boladele Dapo-Thomas.
The five buildings demolished were located at At 28 Elegbata Street, Apongbon; 199 Tokunbo Street, by Glover; 27 Inabiri Street, 16 Egatin Street and 45 John Street.
LASBCA had earlier on Saturday demolished three buildings.
At Number 33 Ojo Giwa, a three-storey building was demolished by the officials in order to avert another collapsed building.
At 34, Seriki Street, another distressed three-storey building was pulled down by LASBCA officials, while at 21, Okediji street, a three-storey building was demolished.
Others demolished on Friday were located at 60 Freeman Street, 47 Smith sStreet,16 Apatira Street, 28 Apatira Street and 39 Alli Street, ItaFaaji.
Speaking, Dapo-Thomas said that government would not rest on its oars until it sanitised the the whole of Lagos Island.
She added that government would ensure it sanitised and rid Lagos of distressed and dilapidated buildings in a bid to stem the era of building collapse in the state.
Also, Fakoluju said 150 distressed buildings had been identified on the Island, but 30 had already been demolished in the last one year while 80 would now be demolished.
Fakoluju added that the agency would carry out the demolition the 80 structures in phases.
The Acting GM, also disclosed that 20 of the 80 buildings earmarked for demolition were on Adeniji Adele, saying that the agency would no longer look back but ensure that distressed buildings were pulled down immediately.
He disclosed that lots of buildings on the Island had been marked for demolition, but that some of them were subject of litigation which prevented government from going ahead to pull them down immediately.
“Over 80 buildings are ready for removal but we shall be removing them in phases. In buildings which are subject of litigation, we try to evacuate the occupants from the buildings so that there will not be loss of lives,” he said.