In an effort to revitalize the building industry and ensure compliance with state regulations, the Lagos State Government plans to demolish all marked illegal structures and shanties in Ogombo, Eti-Osa Local Government Area.
This announcement was made by the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Arc. Gbolahan Oki, during a recent media briefing at the Agency's Headquarters in Ikeja GRA, Lagos. The demolition of these illegal buildings is a necessary step towards cleaning up the area and promoting adherence to building regulations.
The General Manager also mentioned that many of the illegal structures or shanties in the area were constructed on government-owned land by building owners or developers who obtained the land unlawfully and disregarded the state building codes.
Furthermore, the General Manager explained that the problem of illegal construction on government land in the Ogombo area has been ongoing for several years, despite efforts from relevant government agencies to evict and discourage the occupants illegally occupying the land, all without success.
According to Oki, the issue of demolition of these illegal buildings in Eti-Osa has been a concern for the past five years, and he personally has been working on it for one and a half years. He emphasized the importance of taking necessary action to remove these illegal structures as it is the government's responsibility to do so.
He also emphasized that prior to demolishing any unauthorized structure or shanty in Eti-Osa, all essential legal notices, such as Contravention, Stop-Work, Quit and Demolition Notices, must be sent to the owners or developers of such properties.
Oki expressed concern over the increasing incidence of land-grabbers illegally selling government lands to owners and developers without proper documentation, as well as disregarding the State Building Codes. He urged the public involved in constructing buildings to always conduct thorough and relevant investigations to determine the legitimacy of the land they intend to build on in the state.
He stated, “When acquiring land for building construction in Lagos State, due diligence must be conducted because, from now on, the government will demolish buildings that are constructed on illegally acquired government lands.”
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