Lagos pulls down 57 distressed buildings, slams cost on owners

The Lagos State Government has started demolishing 57 buildings classified distressed in a bid to forestall cases of building-collapse across the state.
The buildings being demolished ranged from two-storey to four-storey buildings.
General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Lekan Shodehinde, told newsmen on Monday that the agency demolished a three-storey building located at 152, Adeniji Adele Street; a two-storey building located at 54 Aroloya Street; another three-storey building at 3, Alanaku Street and 31 others on Lagos Island.
Of the 57 buildings already marked for demolition, the agency disclosed that at least 34 were located on Lagos Island, thereby warning against developing buildings without complying with standard rules.
Shodehinde said the buildings had been distressed overtime and that government had served owners of the structures notices.
He disclosed that 13 buildings were demolished on Monday and that the exercise would last for two weeks.
Shodehinde disclosed that the agency had identified “114 distressed buildings that need to be demolished across the metropolis”.
“This will happen during the second phase of the exercise”.
Shodehinde explained that once a distressed building had been demolished by the government, the owner would be given 90 days to pay the demolition cost, failure for which government would seize the land.
He said before a building would be demolished, the owner would be given ample time to remedy the situation, which included subjecting the property to integrity test.