AFRICA

Lagos Seals 4 Ikoyi Properties in Crackdown on Unauthorised Construction

The Lagos state government has read the riot act to those flouting extant laws regulating building in the state, saying anyone who starts construction without authorisation by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) would be sanctioned.

The decision was disclosed by the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on EGIS and Urban Planning, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, during an inspection of properties in the highbrow Ikoyi area of the state.

Speaking to newsmen in the company of the General Manager of LASBCA, Mr. Gbolahan Oki, after sealing off some buildings that contravened the state building regulations, Dr. Babatunde said those embarking on construction without building approvals should stop work immediately.

He said: “The reason we came to these sites today is to carry out enforcements against people who contravened building regulations. From today on, if there is anyone in Lagos State who is building without approval or not following his or her building approval, he or she should stop. If we get there and you are working, we are going to bring it down.

“We have issued authorisation to different developers that have building permits from the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority. However, from today, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, we have cancelled the entire authorisation we issued. It means that every site that is under construction in the state must stop.

“All you need to do is quickly rush to either the headquarters or district office of LASBCA to have your authorisation revalidated. It doesn’t matter who you are; stop work. All authorisations are cancelled. You must go and revalidate your authorisations for you to continue construction. If there is no green sticker on your properties and you are building, we are going to bring down your structure,” he stated.

Besides, he said that anyone who goes to sites and starts construction without a revalidation would be brought to book.

Also speaking, the General Manager of LASBCA, Oki, advised developers to desist from sharp practices, saying anybody who contravenes the building regulations will be dealt with.

He said: “There are laws and procedures. What we said is that before you can go to the site to start construction, you need to get your planning permit and have authorisation. We found out that some started construction without any approval, not even ownership of the land, which is very wrong. And because of that, we decided to seal up the properties.

“The problems we have are with the developers. They don’t tell the owners of properties the exact truth. So, we have stopped construction on many sites and sealed up many places so that the owners of the property can do the right thing.

“We are looking at opportunities to work with other professionals. Other professionals are going to be involved. It is not going to be LASBCA alone because of the manpower. The professionals are going to be a form of assistance to us in the area of monitoring. We need to take the bull by the horn, and if we don’t do it, nobody is going to do it for us.”

Oki also urged people within a community to report any infractions in construction sites to government agencies for necessary actions to prevent the collapse of buildings.

During the routine inspection, which lasted for about two hours, four buildings located at 13 Oroki Street, Queen Drive, 41 and 42 Alexander Road in Ikoyi were sealed up by LASBCA officials.

Segun James