Lagos reiterates riot act against building collapse, begins enforcement in Island
The Lagos State Government has issued a riot act to construction companies, requesting that they provide the identities, photos, and addresses of employees on the job.
The authorities also cautioned against attacks on building control officials by neighborhood youngsters who had been hired by developers without the proper paperwork.
Gbolahan Oki, the General Manager of the State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), revealed this at a meeting in his office with the Lagos Island branch of the Real Estate Developers Association.
He chastised members of the association for their casual attitude after meeting with them seven months earlier to discuss the need to construct properly and stop the frequent building collapses on Lagos Island.
According to him, the agency will henceforth seal any location where essential specialists are not present, and workers’ identities, addresses, and pictures will be put on the site.
Oki expressed concern that, despite multiple warnings, members of the association continued to shortchange the system, resulting in the collapse of a structure under construction on Lagos Island on Monday.
The General Manager pledged that enforcement would begin today on the Island to demolish homes that did not follow the rules.
“We don’t need to sleep with one eye closed because we don’t know what the builders or contractors have installed for us to sleep in,” he explained.
“The typical Nigerian’s life is more significant than the amount of money you want to make.”
“Key personnel must be on site for all constructions, and materials must be thoroughly inspected.”
“You should get insurance before starting any project on your site so that if something occurs to the personnel on site, you won’t have to worry.”
“Simple processes must be followed, like having construction blueprints and approval on site, which 99 percent of developers lack, which is why the Lagos state government chose to station building officials in the district.”
“Take the latest building fall for example; the owner would have paid over N30 million; if a professional took 10% of the cost, the structure would still be standing.”
“The expense of building is not comparable to the cost of a person’s life.” What would happen if humans were living in that collapsed building?
“You will bother our officials when they arrive at your site because you do not have the required paperwork, and this needs to stop.”
“Our enforcement staff should never be humiliated,” he continued. “If they are, the site will have to come down with others on the block.”
In response, the association’s leader, Chief Adeniyi Lawal, committed to work with the government to secure the safety of people and property by following all guidelines.
While praising God that no one was killed in the tragic occurrence, he vowed that the association will track down the developer of the doomed project.
In addition, Alhaji Kamli Shodeinde, an official of the organization, condemned the harassment of enforcement officials and promised that the association will “construct correctly” to safeguard the lives and property of Lagos residents.
