LASG to seal sites supervised by illegal builders

The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Building Control Agency, says it will start closing down buildings under construction in the state that are not supervised by relevant professionals in the built environment.

The General Manager of LASBCA, Gbolahan Oki, made this known on Monday while setting up an ad hoc task force to enforce the directive in his office in Ikeja.

Oki said the state had observed with dismay the non-involvement of relevant professionals in the built environment in constructions in the state and had therefore directed that property owners and developers all over the state must ensure that all relevant professionals in the built environment, such as structural/civil, mechanical, electrical engineers, builders and architects, are fully engaged in their building projects.

The General Manager stated that henceforth, LASBCA would be visiting building sites and any site that flouted the directive to engage experts would have such site sealed and possibly removed.

Oki added that the directive became necessary to safeguard the building construction industry and to ensure that buildings being constructed in the state were done only by professionals who could vouch for their safety and fitness for habilitation.

He advised that “developers and property owners must ensure that they engage only relevant professionals with the current practising licence of their professional associations with sworn affidavit of attestation of supervising such building.”

Oki stressed the need for Lagosians to comply with building codes and regulations to curb the menace of building collapse in the state and avoid unnecessary loss of lives.

In July, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency confirmed the death of three site workers on a building that collapsed at Arowojobe Estate in the Maryland area of the state.

The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria.

He said the incident happened at No 13, Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate, Maryland, Lagos.

He said the three males who were recovered dead at the building were site workers.