LASG identifies 15 distressed buildings for demolition

The Lagos State Building Control Agency has identified over 15 distressed buildings to be pulled down by the agency in Iponri Estate, Surulere.

The identification comes with a two-week evacuation notice for the occupants.

This was disclosed by the General Manager of LASBCA, Gbolahan Oki, in a statement on Sunday.

He asserted that the agency had given several notices and warnings to the affected residents to vacate the area, to prevent the loss of lives and properties.

He said, “Asking residents to vacate distressed buildings to enable LASBCA to remove them is in the best interest of the public.”

Oki warned that the deteriorating condition of some of the distressed buildings posed a great danger, as their integrity had been compromised and could give way at any time.

He added, “To avert any likely disaster often associated with building collapse, the state government needs to act swiftly for public safety.

“The agency is committed to enforcing building safety standards across the state, and residents should comply with evacuation orders to avoid any casualty.”

The LASBCA boss further assured the public that it would continue to monitor buildings across the state to identify other structures that may pose similar risks to avert dangers.

While explaining the risks associated with distressed buildings, a member representing Surulere Constituency 1 at the House of A

Assembly, Desmond Elliot, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Barakat Bakare, implored residents not to compromise standards but to abide by the building codes and regulations.

Elliot applauded LASBCA for its dedication to ensuring sanity in the built environment and also implored the residents to vacate the area to safeguard lives and properties.

Last Monday, a two-storey building collapsed on Amusu Street, in the Orile Iganmu area of Lagos State.

The PUNCH learnt that the incident happened at about 8 am on Monday.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Damilola Oke-Osanyitolu, confirmed the incident in a statement, stating that the collapse occurred due to the building’s age.