Lagos marks 70 defective buildings for demolition

The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) says it has marked 70 buildings considered defective for demolition, after demolishing a partially collapsed building at No. 19, Church Str, Lagos Island and its set to demolish 70 others.
A statement by LASBCA spokesman, Mr Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, said the General Manager of the agency, Mr Gbolahan Oki, supervised the demolition exercise.
Speaking at the demolition site, Oki said it had become expedient to immediately remove the dilapidated and distressed building, which was no longer fit for human habitation to prevent collapse.
He said several other defective buildings had been marked for removal to rid the state of defective buildings, in a bid to end the era of building collapses.
Oki noted that his team had earlier visited the distressed building site to get an on the spot assessment and asked the residents to relocate for their safety.
The GM said the agency had identified and marked 70 other distressed buildings within the state for removal.
He explained that 20 of the structures were discovered on Lagos Island.
Oki said due process would be followed for Non Destructive Tests (NDTs) to be carried out on affected buildings in order to ascertain their structural integrity.
He added that the test would also determine if the buildings could be either renovated or demolished if found not safe for human habitation.
He reiterated that the “government has absolute zero tolerance for building collapse, hence all building codes regulation within the state would be strictly enforced.”
He added that enforcement would include ensuring all buildings above two floors obtained insurance, as contained in the Building Regulations 2019 (as amended).
He warned developers and property owners to always do the right thing by involving LASBCA at various stages of construction works and obtaining all requisite approvals and completion certificates.
He appealed to Lagos residents to help government achieve its aim of creating a safer state by reporting substandard construction and dilapidated structures in their areas to the agency.