LAGOS residents have again been urged to be more security conscious and report promptly to the government any abandoned and uncompleted building in their neighbourhood,

as such often becomes a haven for miscreants, armed robbers, homeless people and sometimes traders who endanger their lives in the face of building collapse.

The call was made last week by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in the state, Mr Toyin Ayinde, during an inspection tour of distressed, contravening and   abandoned buildings in the state.

The commissioner hinted that the government, in its continued effort to keep Lagos safe, was set to seize and demolish such structures, especially those that have been abandoned for up to 5years. He said, apart from such structures being used by miscreants to carry out their nefarious activities, the government was always mindful of the dangers involved in building collapses, especially those that led to loss of lives and would rather take pre-emptive measure to avoid such a situation.

Speaking further, he said it was the government’s responsibility to keep people safe if it saw a distressed structure. He identified non-compliance to specific details and alteration of building plans as one of the major causes of building collapse. He therefore urged owners of abandoned buildings to revert to the ministry for clearance before they continued with their construction.

Mr. Ayinde also insisted that the purpose of the inspection tour was to enforce and ensure strict compliance to the provisions of the physical planning regulations because recent development in the state had revealed the growing trend of people erecting structures at night and sometimes on weekends.

He lamented the dearth of illegal structures and activities on right of way of roads in areas visited and ordered for their immediate removal.
He advised the general public once again to seek planning information free-of- charge from the ministry before the commencement of any building.

He also warned that it would no longer be business as usual as the government would not tolerate any construction without relevant approvals for the use being proposed. Officers of the ministry, he disclosed, would be more vigilant henceforth to ensure that contravening structures were halted at their infancy, while the ministry’s working hours would no longer be limited to five hours but round the clock.

According to him, no stone will be left unturned to achieve the desirable environ-ment. Some abandoned buildings along Anthony and Apapa-Oshodi express road, illegal structures and a filling station without permit around Okota area that were already served with notices were all sealed during the tour.

Ayinde further advised builders to be mindful that as the raining season was approaching, they should be aware of how they built, while ensuring that due process was followed. Members of the public were also encouraged to visit the ministry’s website for more information on the various Physical Planning Laws of the state.

The inspection tour which is expected to be a continuous one had on its entourage the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Ajayi, Directors, Field Officers from the ministry and its agency, Lagos State Physical Planning Development Authority (LASSPA).