Lagos Identifies 349 Distressed Buildings, Issues 90-day Ultimatum to Owners

Segun James 

The Lagos State Government revealed that 349 buildings across the state were currently in the state of distress, saying that a 90-day ultimatum notice had been issued to the owners to either re-engineer or remove the buildings.

The buildings and their locations were identified and published on the state government’s website by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA).

According to the General Manager of the agency, Gbolahan Owodunni Oki, the identified distressed structures were identified through a thorough monitoring exercise aimed at preventing collapse and its attendant effects such as loss of lives and properties.

He added that all the identified structures had signs which indicated that they might not be fit for human habitation, some of those signs included cracks, bulging, exposed reinforcement, sinking and tilting, hence the need to conduct Non-Destructive Test (NDT) on them to ascertain their structural stability.

He noted that though statutory notices were duly served on the owners and developers to carry out the much-needed NDT, the agency was yet to receive responses from the owners or developers of the structures.

Oki added that the publication is, therefore, a final notice given to the affected building owners to conduct the NDT and carry out the recommendations of the Test which may include re-engineering/renovation or removal as the case may be.

He maintained that in the case of removal, a Demolition Permit should be obtained from the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) before removal while Renovation Permit should be obtained from the same agency in the case of re-engineering or renovation.

Oki said that a timeframe of 90 days was given after the publication for all owners/developers to do the needful failing which LASBCA will remove the structures in the interest of public safety and in line with the regulatory provisions of the Law, adding that in the event that LASBCA removes the structures, cost of demolition will be borne by the owners/developers of the structures.

He also urged all owners/developers to carry out detailed maintenance checks on their properties and obtain the Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation for new and existing buildings that were yet to do so in line with the Building Codes of the state.