Lagos govt reads riot act to landlords on structural stability tests

Adebayo Obajemu

The Lagos state government has ordered building owners to conduct structural stability tests or be sanctioned.

It has also hinted that there will also be stricter enforcement of regulations and safety precautions to ensure that building owners and developers across Lagos metropolis comply with the new order.

The latest developnment is in a response to the partial collapse of a 3-storey building at Alagomegi-Yaba on Monday.

In a series of tweets that were posted last night on the Lagos State Government’s official Twitter handle, the state’s Building Control Agency (LASBCA), disclosed that the affected building at 6, Olonode Street, Alagomeji-Yaba, Lagos, collapsed in the early hours of Monday due to the heavy rainfall in the area over the night.

Engr. Biola Kosegbe, the general manager of LASBCA said the collapsed building had earlier been marked for demolition. In other words, all occupants of the building were evacuated by the Agency before the incident, thereby averting a disaster.

Kosegbe went on to explain that statistics from previous years show that there is a higher incidence of building collapse during the rainy season, hence the need for building owners to ascertain the level of structural stability of their properties to avert collapse. She added that the Lagos State Government would not hesitate to remove illegal or distressed buildings, or any other structure that is not in conformity with the State’s building laws and standards