Lagos State Government has demolished at least 13 buildings at I.K. Peter Street, Ajao Estate, over illegal occupation, construction along pipeline and sited in close proximity to the Murtala International Airport, Lagos.
The General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, Gbolahan Oki, explained several reasons for the demolition on Friday, while briefing newsmen.
Oki, who described the situation as disaster waiting to happen, expressed fear of possibile fire outbreak from the pipeline in future which he said could result in loss of lives and properties.
He said the builders also lacked required documents as approvals for construction in that area.
According to LABSCA boss, the buildings were illegally constructed out of clear disregard to the requirements of extant laws.
Mentioning that the buildings had no planning permit and were built around the pipelines, Oki said that “nobody in his right thinking mind will go and buy a plot on a pipeline and build on the pipeline.”
He stated that due consultations and communications have been made with enough time of over eight years, 2016, given to the occupants of the affected buildings to evacuate the structures.
Oki lamented over the spate of building collapse in Lagos, blaming it on basically, “attitudinal problem.”
He described the buildings on the land as “National risk” to the airport being “extremely close”, stressing that “no life of a Nigerian is worth being lost to the dangers that the siting of the buildings pose.”
The GM who called on residents to report cases of illegal structures to the government, said, “turning a blind face to such constructions, would bear untoward consequences with far reaching losses.”
Also speaking on the development, the authority of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said “the agency is happy Lagos State Government is stepping into the issue after several warnings in attempt to stop the constructions of buildings were not yielded to by those it called “encroachers, who stole from the land of the Airport.”
The General Manager, Business Development, FAAN, Mr. Ngwu Hycienth, commended the partnership with LASBCA to bring sanity, normalcy and decency to the Airport environment.
He lamented that the authorities of the airport began to serve notice encroachment on its land in 2016 on occupiers for defying the standard rule that no building must be cited close to the perimeter fence of the Airport
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