Lagos Begins Demolition of 57 buildings; Residents Cry Out..

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To stem the tide of building collapse in the state, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), on Monday began the demolition of identified 57 distressed buildings across the metropolis, many of which were on Lagos Island.This was as some residents of the affected building stormed the office of the Lagos State governor, Akinwumi Ambode, and the House of Assembly, lamenting over the demolitions.

Officials of LASBCA, escorted by armed policemen stormed the Island in the morning to begin demolition of the affected buildings.

General Manager, LASBCA, Mr Lekan Shodehinde, said that the demolition consisted the first phase of the identified distressed buildings approved by Ambode.

Shodehinde said the buildings had been distressed overtime and that government had served owners of the structures notices.

He added that the exercise was being carried out to stem tide of collapsing buildings in the state, saying that government would not fold its arms and allow loss of lives and destruction of property.

“We have commenced the demolition exercise, starting with 13 buildings, on Monday; and the exercise would last for two weeks,” said Shodehinde, adding that the agency had identified 114 distressed buildings that needed to be demolished across the metropolis.

The general manager stated further that the government would no longer wait for owners of distressed buildings to remove them on their own, as experience had shown that they seldom comply.

Shodehinde explained that once a distressed building had been demolished by the government, the owner would be given 90 days to pay the demolition cost, failure of which government would seize the land.

He said before a building would be demolished, the owner would be given ample time to rectify the situation, which included subjecting the property to integrity test.

The LASBCA General Manager stated that if after the test had been carried out and the property was found to be unsafe, it would be demolished.

Buildings being demolished ranged from two-storey to four-storey buildings.

Meanwhile, residents of Lagoon View Estate, along Ibeshe Road, Ikorodu, including a nursing mother and an 87-year-old woman on Monday stormed the Ambode’s office and the House of Assembly to protest over demolition of their residential buildings by agents of the state government.

The protesters, mainly youths and aged, came to Alausa, Ikeja, at about 12 noon, displaying placards with various inscriptions. They claimed that officials of the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development stormed their residence with bulldozers without prior notice and demolished 16 buildings belonging to residents.

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