Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has cautioned Lagosians seeking accommodation to be wary of distressed buildings, especially those already marked by the Agency for demolition.
The General Manager of LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, said the warning became necessary to avoid situations whereby tenants of distressed buildings lament and seek repayment of their unused house rents from the government or house owners when such buildings are eventually pulled down.
Oki’s warning was conveyed by the Agency’s Director of Enforcement, Mr. Olusoji Olaopa, during the demolition of two distressed structures located at 26, Bishop Street Mushin Lagos and along Agege Motor Road both in Mushin Local Government Area of the State.
He decried the high rate of disregard for abatement notices and distressed markings on buildings in different parts of the State, expressing shock that another building at 28, Bishop Street, Mushin, earlier marked for demolition was still fully occupied despite its distressed look and vacation notice already served.
His words: “When a building is marked by LASBCA for whatever reason, it is wrong and illegal to continue to reside in such building without addressing the concerns raised by the Agency. Lagosians must be vigilant in carrying out due diligence before making payment for accommodation in order to avoid paying for buildings already marked for demolition”.
“The situation whereby occupants of marked distressed structures start pleading for additional weeks and months after their buildings had been marked for demolition shows great disregard for law and safety. This will not be condoned by the State Government”, the Director explained.
He warned owners of buildings marked by LASBCA to stop deceiving prospective tenants under the guise that their distressed structures are already undergoing renovation works when in an actual sense nothing substantial was being done.
While promising that the agency will not cease to prioritise the issue of safety of lives and property in every part of the State, Oki assured Lagosians that LASBCA will continue to be alive to its duty of sanitising the entire metropolis from distressed and defective structures.