As part of the measures to prevent loss of lives and property, the Lagos State Government has disclosed that 231 distressed buildings were pulled down and 7,275 illegal and non-conforming structures were sealed during enforcement across the state in 2020.
The government’s record indicated that 1,121 distressed and dilapidated buildings were identified and that of the total buildings sealed, over 1,544 buildings were unsealed, having complied with the regulations.
Aside from these, the State government’s record further revealed that 29 buildings collapsed with dozens of occupants sustaining injuries across the state within last year.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Idris Salako, who revealed the statistics on Thursday, said that the government remains committed to its zero-tolerance policy on Illegal structures within the state.
Salako, meanwhile, said: “I urge you all to desist from erecting buildings without a permit or without recourse to the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) for stage certification which will qualify such buildings as complete and fit for habitation.
“In the same vein, all wetlands and other preserved zones are to be respected as such and not to be encroached upon for building construction”, the commissioner added.
He disclosed that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has given the go-ahead for the regeneration of Otto and Otumara slum communities in the Mainland.
According to the Commissioner, the move, which is in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda, the administration’s development plan, will culminate in the creation of a new Micro City with better urban aesthetics and vibrancy in Otto and Otumara.
He added that the creation of a Micro City in those locations would complement the proposed revamping of the National Arts Theatre by the Federal Government, through the CBN- led Committee of Bankers.
Salako said the Micro City would be delivered with the upgrade of existing socio-economic amenities, such as hospitals/clinics, schools, market, water etc.
He added that there would be preservation and conservation of ecologically sensitive land spaces, such as Buffer Zones, Earth Drain, Floodplains and waterfronts as well as the creation of new viable Economic Activity Centres, including residential-led mixed-use.
