Lagos to demolish 349 distressed buildings, issues final notice to owners (Full list)

Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Saturday, issued a final notice to owners ahead a planned demolition of a total of 349 defective and distressed buildings.

The agency said the final notice on the affected buildings is for their owners to conduct the Non-Destructive Test (NDT) ‘and carry out the recommendations of the Test which may include re-engineering/renovation or removal as the case may be.’

The agency further explained that the planned demolition is aimed at curbing the menace of building collapse.

The affected buildings, LASBCA were found to be exhibiting various signs of distress across the state.

The list of affected structures was published Saturday, as the agency claimed the owners had failed to conduct a Non-Destructive Test (NDT) on them in order to ascertain the buildings’ structural stability.

According to the General Manager of LASBCA, Mr. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki, in a statement, Saturday, statutory notices were duly served on the owners/developers to carry out the much-needed NDT, just as he added that the agency is yet to receive responses from the owners or developers of the structures.

“In furtherance to the Lagos Government’s commitment to curbing the menace of building collapse, LASBCA has identified and published the list of 349 buildings found to be exhibiting various signs of distress across the state.

“The suspected distressed structures were identified through a thorough monitoring exercise aimed at preventing collapse and its attendant effects such as loss of lives and properties.”

Oki added that all the identified structures have signs which indicate that they might not be fit for human habitation, some of those signs include cracks, spalling, bulging, exposed reinforcement, sinking and tilting, hence the need to conduct Non-Destructive Test (NDT) on them to ascertain their structural stability.

The LASBCA boss noted that though statutory notices were duly served on the owners/developers to carry out the much-needed NDT, the agency is yet to receive responses from the owners or developers of the structures.

Speaking further,  Oki said that the publication is therefore a final notice given to the affected building owners to conduct the NDT and carry out the recommendations of the Test which may include re-engineering/renovation or removal as the case may be.

He maintained that in the case of removal, a Demolition Permit should be obtained from the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority before removal while Renovation Permit should be obtained from the same Agency (LASPPPA) in the case of re-engineering or renovation.

Oki said that a timeframe of 90 days is given after the publication for all owners/developers to do the needful failing which LASBCA will remove the structures in the interest of public safety and in line with the regulatory provisions of the Law, adding that in the event that LASBCA removes the structures, cost of demolition will be borne by the owner/developer of the structures.