National News
Lagos begins mass demolition of distressed buildings
The Lagos State Government on Monday said it will embark on a weeklong demolition of distressed buildings in Ebute Meta and other areas of the state.
It said that the exercise is to prevent building collapse and safeguard lives and property.
According to Dr. Idris Salako, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, only identified distressed buildings in the state would be demolished.
“Structures previously marked as distressed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), particularly in Ebute-Meta East, where an occupied building collapsed about a week ago with several others vividly showing distress signs,” the commissioner added.
According to Salako, it became logical to demolish structures that had previously been designated as critically distressed in order to avoid calamity especially during the rainy season.
The commissioner said that this would be done while the assessment of structures in the area and other parts of the state continued.
“The administration of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu is committed to ensuring the security of lives and property.
“This underlies our resolve to act promptly in addressing the spate of building collapse by removing uninhabitable structures before they cause more havoc, especially during the rainy season when such buildings are more prone to collapse”, he said.
Residents should remain particularly attentive and report any irregularities through the state government’s contact channels, according to the commissioner.
He recommended that they do so through the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development Mobile App, which is available on Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
