Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the demolition of 20 dwellings in the Banana Island, Ikoyi neighbourhood of Lagos State, as a result of the state’s high rate of building collapses.
Speaking on Saturday during a visit to the site of the recent building collapse on First Avenue in Banana Island, a visibly enraged Sanwo-Olu blamed several federal agencies for the occurrences of building collapse on the upscale island.
The governor also deemed irresponsible the manner in which the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the estate’s promoters, granted permission to sand-fill the Lagos Lagoon without regard to the area’s topography.
He stated that the location of the collapsed structure was not part of the island’s original design.
“We are in the rear of the adjoining property. It is evident that the original line for Banana Island is absent. It is well ahead of schedule, and you can see that both the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and NIWA have granted several extensions. These two federal agencies are responsible for the extensions in question. These extensions were made without our knowledge.We are accountable for building approvals. None of the four structures in the rear received our sanction. This is a legitimate illegality, which is why we are touring the properties.The justification that they lack access is unacceptable.
It is complete carelessness. All responsible developers and officers will be punished.”But what we are doing now is establishing an external committee with two weeks to determine independently what went awry, and they should complete their work by the end of next week. This will bolster our ability to develop a solid work plan that we can implement in the future.It is heartbreaking each time we must go through this, and it demonstrates the irresponsibility of the developers, some of our citizens who only want to make fast money, and of course our officers, who are oblivious to their responsibilities.
“We have had to make a few personnel adjustments in order to establish robust and very effective monitoring offices, but we are still short, I must say. Sanwo-Olu explained, “We must always do what is necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens’ lives.”
The governor accused certain officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) of corruption and emphasised that they would be held accountable for the recent collapse of a seven-story building on the island.
Sanwo-Olu bemoaned that approvals were granted to developers by the federal government in collusion with corrupt officials of the Lagos State government, adding that the site on which the collapsed building was constructed was not part of the approved Banana Island plans.
He stated that there should have been no construction on the land.
“There have been numerous investigations. We have seen the extent of unapproved water expansion. Several extensions have been authorised without our knowledge by the Federal Ministry of Works,” he added.
Additionally, the governor inspected ongoing construction projects to determine their level of compliance.
Sanwo-Olu was astounded to discover multistory buildings constructed directly beneath high-tension power lines in some areas.
After surveying the structures, he ordered their immediate demolition.
In addition, he was outraged that buildings that had been demolished by the state government had been rebuilt without the government’s consent.
The governor, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Omotayo Bamgbose-Martins, the Special Adviser on Works, Adeyoye Aramide, and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, among others, issued an order to demolish twenty completed buildings on the island.
While three of the structures are from the island’s commercial segment, seventeen are from the residential section.
“We are at the site of the most recent regrettable building collapse in Banana Island, Lagos, and I’m sure you’ve all seen it. As previously reported, there is currently a great deal of investigation taking place, and you can see that they are still clearing the debris from the site.We have issued a stop-work order not only for this site, but for all construction locations on Banana Island.”I believe that the exercise we are performing today is not limited to this location. “You have all witnessed the extent of what I will refer to as an unapproved extension into the water at the rear of each land that is aborting water.Clearly, the original route for Banana Island is nowhere near where we are now. Multiple extensions have been granted by both the Federal Ministry of Work and Housing and NIWA, which is in plain view.
These two federal agencies are responsible for the extensions. “They conducted these extensions even without our knowledge.” We are responsible for building approvals and the remainder of these matters. “According to what I’ve been told, none of the four buildings in the rear have ever submitted an application for approval.”The illegality is real, which is why we are exploring other Banana Island properties.It is unacceptable that they have made excuses for their lack of access. This is complete irresponsibility on the part of all the developers, and we will make a strong point out of this location, Banana Island, and our other developments.”If any officers are discovered to be similarly responsible, they will also be punished.
It’s heartbreaking every time we have to go through this in any of these locations, and it demonstrates the irresponsibility of some developers and citizens who only want to make fast money.Moreover, our own officers are also oblivious to their responsibilities.
“We’ve had to make a few personnel adjustments so that we can establish monitoring agencies that are robust and very strong. But we believe that we are still far from it; I must say that we are still lacking.”And we will continue to do whatever is necessary to assure the safety of our residents at all times. As I mentioned, this is not the first time we’ve done this, so feel free to join us if you’d like.”
