More buildings may collapse in Lagos – Commissioner

Kunle Awosiyan, Lagos - 30.06.2009

There are indications that more buildings will collapse in Lagos as the rain continues across the metropolis. This was revealed by the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Fransisco Abosede, at a news conference to react to the recently collapsed building at Ebute-Metta.

According to him, there were many buildings with structural defects in the state, which government had not been able to access due to the uncooperative attitude of the owners.

The commissioner, who was accompanied by his counterpart in Information and Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, said the building at Ebute Metta collapsed because officials of the ministry were not allowed to access it for structural defaults by the owner.

According to him, the structure belonged to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) but was sub-leased to another person who refused the state government’s officials access to monitor it.

“There are many buildings of such, which our officials have not been able to access. That is why we are calling on landlords, tenants and Lagos residents in general to cooperate with the government by pulling down any defective structure before it collapses,” he said.

In his comment, Bamidele warned landlords to follow the physical planning law of the state by demolishing any defective structure, adding that “failure to do so, the government will do it by itself and this may attract penalty.”