LAGOS, Nigeria – In a resolute response to checkmate building collapses, the Lagos State Government initiated a sweeping operation on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, tearing down illegal structures in the upscale Banana Island neighbourhood.
The Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority joined forces in the operation.
The joint task force was headed by the General Manager of LASBCA, Gbolahan Oki, and the Task Force Chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye.
In a press release, the state Ministry of Information revealed that the targeted buildings violated the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning Development Law (2019).
The move is a testament to the agency’s commitment to identifying and demolishing distressed, illegal, and non-conforming structures in the State.
“This exercise aligns with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directive following his visit to the site of the recent seven-storey building collapse on Banana Island,” the ministry’s statement clarified. “The Governor stated unequivocally that the site of the collapsed building was not part of the original Island’s plan,” it added.
The tragic building collapse on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, on First Avenue, saw seven people pulled from the wreckage.
Construction workers were in the midst of their daily duties when the building, under construction for several months, gave way at around 4.58pm.
Many of the workers miraculously escaped the calamity unscathed, but others sustained injuries of varying severity. A few unlucky individuals were trapped beneath the debris. Quick-thinking eyewitnesses, including construction workers from neighbouring sites, alerted emergency services, who promptly responded to commence rescue operations.
In a statement on its verified Facebook page, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development declared that no authorisation had been granted for the construction of the collapsed edifice.
During the recovery efforts, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency retrieved the body of an adult male from the wreckage.
The recent demolition of illegal structures underscores the government’s determination to clamp down on unauthorized and unsafe construction, as it seeks to prevent future incidents and ensure the safety of Lagos residents.
