October 24, 2023

The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), has demolished an illegal structure in Banana Island area of the State.

Speaking recently on the demolition exercise, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Oluyinka Olumide, who decried the rate at which owners/developers continue to build without recourse to the building codes of the State, said that the demolition was in a bid to compel compliance and rid the State of illegal structures.

He stated that the demolished structure was in gross violation of the suspension order issued by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during his assessment visit to the site earlier in the year.

It was discovered then that the developer illegally dredged the river to reclaim the land without recourse to any approving authority.

Speaking further, the Commissioner maintained that the indiscriminate dredging activity in the area must stop forthwith, for it not only goes against Planning Laws but impacts negatively on the State’s ecosystem.

Also speaking, the General Manager of LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki said that officials of the Agency had earlier sealed the site but the developer broke the seal and continued with construction, an action which contravenes the building code.

Whilst expressing concern over the illegal land reclamation in the area, Oki assured that those involved would be penalised, the General Manager added that all buildings involved in unapproved shoreline extensions along Lagos Waterfront would be demolished and their developers prosecuted.

He urged all intending building owners to always do the needful by carrying out due diligence before the commencement of any construction, including obtaining the necessary documentation from relevant Government Agencies.