…blames collapse on developers’ recklessness, illegality
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the immediate demolition and sealing of many completed and uncompleted buildings in Banana Island with various infractions and those that did not receive appropriate approvals for construction by agencies of government.
Officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency have also marked the affected buildings for demolition following the governor’s order.
The governor’s order is coming after the recent collapse of a seven-storey building on First Avenue, Banana Island in the Ikoyi area of Lagos.
The seven-storey building under construction collapsed on April 12. No death was recorded, according to the Lagos State government, while 25 people were rescued from the debris.
Sanwo-Olu, who was on an on-the-spot assessment of the site of the collapse and other properties in Banana Island on Saturday, April 22, put the blame squarely on the shoulders of reckless developers who hide under Federal Government agencies to build illegal structures on Banana Island.
He said his administration would no longer tolerate the activities of greedy developers who reclaim land from water illegally in connivance with some government agencies.
“A lot of investigation is going on right now and you can see that they are still clearing the rubbles at the site. We have given the order to stop work, not only at this site but also at all of the construction sites in Banana Island,” Sanwo-Olu told journalists at the site of the collapsed building.
“You have all seen the extent of what I will call an unapproved extension into the water. You can see that the original line for Banana Island is even not where we are. It is way in front there and you can see that several extensions have been granted by both the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). These are the two federal agencies that have been culpable for those extensions,” he said.
The governor regretted that these extensions have been done without the knowledge of the Lagos State government.
“We have responsibility for building approvals and from what I have been told, all of the four buildings around the collapsed building never applied for approval,” he said.
“This is total recklessness of the developers and we will make a strong point out of this place and all around Banana Island. Any officers found culpable will also be sanctioned.”
The governor restated his administration’s commitment to the safety of lives and property of the people in Lagos State, describing as “irresponsible and unacceptable” building of illegal infrastructure in Banana Island. He also blamed some officers of government for not being alive to their responsibilities.
“We have had to change staff here and there so that we can bring forward robust and very strong monitoring officers. We will continue to do what we need to do to ensure that we keep the lives of our residents safe at all times,” he said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu informed that the Lagos State Government has set up an external seven-man committee to independently ascertain the remote cause of the incident within two weeks.
“This will also further strengthen us to also come up with a robust work plan that we can enforce going forward,” he said.
The governor was accompanied by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Tayo Bamigbose-Martins; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye; General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Arc. Gbolahan Oki, and heads of departments and agencies.
