The General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, (LASBCA), Arc. Gbolahan Oki has explained that the recent demolition of a distressed building located at No 3, Oko Baba Street, Ebute Metta, was to protect the lives and property of Lagosians, describing the building as a disaster in waiting.
According to the General Manager, LABSCA embarked on the demolition of the distressed building on Tuesday following the directive of the State Government, adding that the demolition was a proactive move to avert avoidable loss of lives and property.
He informed that several engagements with the developer in charge of the building proved abortive as the developer remained unyielding and unwilling to comply with instructions from the agency.
His words: “The inability of the developer to reach a compromise with the agency after a series of engagements with him, necessitated the demolition of the distressed building to save the lives of the inhabitants as well as the school children within the building”.
Arc. Oki disclosed that the developer had already been served the necessary statutory notices and was told to present the results of the structural stability test that will show the status of the building and other needed processes that must be put in place before the rainy season.
“The developer was told to make appropriate renovations but failed to effect these repairs. Information reached us that the building was not stable, so the Agency went to verify the true situation. Even on getting there, there was an appalling sight of a part of the building that housed little school children, who were immediately dispersed and sent home in order to save the school children from becoming victims of a collapsed building”, the General Manager stated.
While reiterating the present administration’s commitment to the safety of lives and security of all Lagosians, Oki disclosed that some other buildings had already been marked for demolition within that area, stressing that several parts of the State would be touched by the agency before the rainy season as part of strategies to reduce incidents of building collapse during the period.
