In the quest to ensure safe construction and prevention of building collapse, the Lagos State Government has issued a mandate to house builders to cease working on their sites at night across the state.
The state government said that under the new measure, construction workers would only be allowed to resume at their site at 7am and leave at 6pm between Monday and Sunday, saying while Sunday is excluded, any work after this hour will attract penalties.
It stressed that the directive was issued following the recent cases of building collapse which has led to loss of lives and properties alongside casualties needing medical intervention.
To ensure adherence, the state government disclosed that government agencies will be on guard to enforce the new measure and also apprehend defaulters who err against the directive.
However, the state relayed that there could be a concession granted to work outside the hours which is subject to formal application that would be treated on its merits.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluyinka Olumide, made the announcement at the state’s Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja on Thursday, urging the residents to report any site found to be violating the order.
Olumide mentioned that there have been reports of labourers sleeping at construction sites. He, however noted that officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) will be inspecting construction sites across the state, especially at night, to ensure that nobody is sleeping inside any building under construction.
When asked on sanctions awaiting violators of the directive, the Commissioner said, “Henceforth, any property developer or owners who engage workers to carry out construction work on Sundays and beyond 7 pm on Monday to Saturday will have his or her property sealed indefinitely.
“This directive becomes necessary to safeguard the building construction industry and ensure that buildings in the state are safe, secure, and fit for habilitation,” he added.
