Imminent collapse: Lagos issues 7-day ultimatum to owner/occupiers of 2 buildings to vacat

Imminent collapse: Lagos issues 7-day ultimatum to owner/occupiers of 2 buildings to vacate

Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development on Wednesday ordered owner/occupiers of two defective buildings that are seriously distressed beyond control and redemption at Oyingbo in Mainland Local Government Area of the state to vacate the buildings within the next seven days, citing structural failure and imminent building collapse as reason for the order.

Spokesperson of the Ministry, Mr. Shina Odunuga, gave this ultimatum in a stetement made available to newsmen in Alausa, Ikeja, saying a Contravention and Quit Notice was served by the Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the Ministry, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABCA), on the two buildings.

According to him, the two building are situated at No. 27 and 31, Oloto Street, Ebute- Metta, saying that the ministry took the step, following defects which could culminate in imminent collapse noticed on the affected buildings.

“During an on the spot inspection of the buildings by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Technical Services  Department(TSD), it was noticed that the physical structures of the two buildings were failing and the entire structures dilapidated and, therefore, unfit for human habitation.

“It was also established and confirmed that the technical structure engineering test that were carried out on the two structures attested to the fact that the two structures may likely collapse any moment, if urgent measures were not taking by concerned authorities.

“In order to avoid human causality, the ministry had issued contravention and quit notices to all the occupiers of the two buildings and invited the owners of the buildings to report at Alausa Secretariat office of the ministry, Technical Services Department (TSD) , so that precautionary and timely measures could be taken to avert collapse

“Before the issuance of the quit notice, the two structures had been marked by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABCA) in a bid to save innocent lives and properties and had also directed the owners of the buildings to take necessary corrective measures towards rehabilitation of the buildings.

“However, the owners of the buildings refused to take any positive action in order to redeem the structures from further deterioration,” Mr. Odunuga said.

Speaking further, he said the structure at No 21 Muritala Muhammed Way was also marked for contravention of physical planning development laws and arbitrary conversion of building into shopping complex and the extension of the stair case to the obstruction of right of the way (ROW).

According to him, the stair case was illegally extended beyond the walk way, saying the ministry had since directed that the stair case be removed while the owners were directed to present the structural development approvals.