Govt demolishes nine-storeyed structure for not having approval

On Thursday, the Lagos State Government commenced the demolition of a nine-storeyed building on Dada Fayemi Street, Osapa London in Lekki, Lagos, for failure of the developer to obey the master of the area.

The demolition, which was done manually due to the location of the building, is expected to be completed within a few days.

It was not clear what the building was intended for or who the developer was, as there were no signs on site.

The General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Mr Olalekan Shodeinde, said structures in the area were not expected to be more than four floors, adding that the nine-storeyed structure did not have government approval.

According to him, the structure was discovered in September 2017.

Shodeinde said, “When we discovered the structure, we contacted the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, which said there was no record of any approval for the building. LASBCA sealed the site in October 2017, but in March 2018, when we went back there we found that the building had been constructed up to the ninth floor and we reported the case to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development..

“The government ordered that it should be removed because the developer flouted the master plan of the area. It used to be a crescent, but the building turned the street into a close. Lekki Peninsular does not have the strength to carry such structures. If the developer had asked for approval for nine floors, he would not have been given.”

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The GM said the state had engaged the developer and had given him a 14-day ultimatum to remove the structure at his expense, adding that at expiration, the agency moved in and commenced the demolition.

“The law says that if the developer fails to remove a structure that has been marked for demolition, the state will demolish it and issue him an invoice. After 90 days, if he does not pay the demolition fee, the land could be confiscated,” he said.