Following the collapse of a three-storey building on Lagos Island, killing 20 persons and injuring dozens, the Lagos State Government, Friday, demolished six out of 80 defective buildings meant for demolition this month.
This marked the beginning of defective buildings on Lagos Island as directed by the state Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode.
Already, the government has issued a 15-day ultimatum to occupants of the marked buildings to quit or risk losing their belongings in the demolition exercise.
So far, officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, began demolition of distressed buildings on Friday beginning with a three-storey building at 60 Freeman Street.
Acting General Manager, LASBCA, Omotayo Fakoluju said the demolition order was given by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode that 80 distressed buildings on Lagos Island must go this month.
He said 150 distressed buildings had been identified on the Island, but 30 had already been demolished in the last one year while 80 would now be demolished.
Fakoluju added that the agency would carry out the demolition the 80 structures in phases.
He said the agency would be demolishing three buildings Friday, saying that after the Freeman Street demolition, the agency would go to Smith and Massey Streets to pull down two more structures.
The Acting GM, also stated that 20 of the 80 buildings earmarked for demolition were on Adeniji Adele, saying that the agency would no longer look back but ensure that distressed buildings were pulled down immediately.
He stated that lots of buildings on the Island had been marked for demolition, but that some of them were subject of litigation which prevented government from going ahead to pull them down immediately.
“Over 80 buildings are ready for removal but we shall be removing them in phases. In buildings which are subject of litigation, we try to evacuate the occupants from the buildings so that there will not be loss of lives,” he said.
