Lagos seals 1,939 structures for flouting building laws

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said that it sealed no fewer than 1,939 buildings in the last one year for contravening physical planning laws.
The state Commissioner for Physical Planning, Toyin Ayinde, made the disclosure at the 2014 ministerial press briefing in Ikeja.
Ayinde said that the sealed buildings were among the 7,281 served notices for contravening the relevant building laws within the period.
Ayinde, however, said that 393 of the affected buildings were later unsealed after compliance while 16 buildings were demolished.
The commissioner said that violation of physical planning laws was a major cause of incessant building collapse in the state.
He listed some of the violations to include building without approvals, use of substandard materials and altering approved building designs.
While saying the government would strengthen monitoring of buildings to check the menace, Ayinde sought the co-operation of residents to deal with the problem.
He said: “The problem of building collapse is a multi-dimensional problem that requires the efforts of all residents and stakeholders to tackle head-on.
“Building consultants, engineers and all other major stakeholders should play their parts even as government is doing its best to put the problem under control.
“Members of the public should always alert us when they suspect illegal erection of structures around them for necessary government actions.
“It is when everyone plays his part that we can really deal with the problem.”
The commissioner warned against using services of quacks in building houses, saying that a number of cases of building collapse resulted from poor execution of building projects.
Ayinde urged residents not to build on flood-plains as the sites might not be compact enough to support their structures.
Speaking on some of the other activities of his ministry, Ayinde said that the government issued 2,067 building permits in the last one year.
He said that 14 layout plans, out of 28 layout applications received for public and private estates, were also granted during the period.
Ayinde said that the ministry, during the period, facilitated the installation of 1,000 close circuit television cameras at strategic places in the state to boost security surveillance.
The commissioner added that significant work progress was recorded in the Isale-gangan Regeneration Project.
He said: “Early last year, we reported that the project was at the first floor level being prepared for casting.
“We are happy to report that we are now at the ninth floor level.
“It is an eleven-floor complex.
“We hope to complete the project by next year.”
Ayinde said that 22 locations had been identified for both the stations and towers of the proposed cable car project designed to boost intermodal transport system in the state.