The Lagos State Government on Friday advised all occupants of identified distressed buildings in the state to evacuate immediately as government would be more stringent in the application of physical planning laws.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Mukaila Sanusi, spokesman of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Sanusi said the Commissioner in the ministry, Dr Oluyinka Olumide gave the advice at the site of a three-floor building that collapsed on Friday on Lagos Street by Herbert Macauley, Ebute-Metta.
Speaking at the site of the unfortunate incidence of the building which had a penthouse, the commissioner said the property had been marked distressed and was published in the dailies.
He said the collapsed building was partially demolished by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) after statutory notices, including evacuation that was served on the property.
He added that he recently supervised the marking and service of notices to a number of distressed buildings in the Ebute-metta area.
Olumide said that it was appalling that people would refuse to evacuate distressed buildings after being officially asked to do so.
“I deeply sympathise with the casualties but remain puzzled at why people will choose to stay in a distressed building, in spite of the serious danger to lives and property,” he said.
He urged all occupants of distressed buildings to vacate immediately as the government would be more stringent in the application of physical planning laws.
He said more information would be made available as rescue operations were ongoing.
The commissioner was accompanied by the Special Adviser Enterprise Geographical Information System (e-GIS) and Urban Development, Dr Olajide Babatunde and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Oluwole Sotire.
Others on the entourage were the General Manager, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), Mr Kehinde Osinaike and his LASBCA counterpart, Mr Gbolahan Oki.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that in May 2022 after demolition of a distressed building located at 47 Jebba Street, Ebute-Metta, the state government marked over 10 others for its weeklong demolition.
The government later published a comprehensive list of 394 distressed structures across the state for demolition in March, 2023.
The government began the statewide demolition but in November, another building marked for demolition partially collapsed on Oloto Street, Borno Way, Ebute Metta.
This sparked another round of demolition of buildings around the Oyingbo and Ebute-Metta axis where occupants of sealed distressed buildings had refused to quit. (NAN)
By Grace Alegba
