The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has accused the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) of granting unapproved extension into the water at Banana Island, Ikoyi, without the knowledge of the state government.
The governor condemned the illegal activities of developers hiding under agencies of the Federal Government to build illegal structures in the wealthy estate.
This was made known by Governor Sanwo-Olu during an on-the-spot assessment of the collapsed 7-storey building and other properties in Banana Island, Ikoyi, where he noted that his administration will no longer tolerate the activities of greedy developers who reclaim land from water illegally in connivance with some government agencies.
Sanwo-Olu blamed the collapsed building on First Avenue, Banana Island on the ‘reckless’ operations of some developers hiding under the pretense that Federal Government agencies had issued approvals to hoodwink unsuspecting property owners.
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The Governor who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Tayo Bamigbose-Martins; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye; General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Arc. Gbolahan Oki and heads of departments and agencies, described building illegal infrastructure in Banana Island as “irresponsible and unacceptable.”
Sanwo-Olu, who expressed his displeasure against illegal structures in Banana Island ordered the immediate demolition and sealing of many completed and uncompleted buildings with various building infractions and those that were not granted appropriate approvals for construction by agencies of government.
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His order was carried out immediately by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, who immediately marked the affected buildings for demolition.
Sanwo-Olu said, “A lot of investigation is going on right now and you can see that they are still clearing the rubbles at the site. We have given the order to stop work, not only at this site but also at all of the construction sites in Banana Island.
“You have all seen the extent of what I will call an unapproved extension into the water. You can see that the original line for Banana Island is even not where we are. It is way in front there and you can see that several extensions have been granted by both the Federal Ministry of Work and Housing and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). These are the two federal agencies that have been culpable for those extensions.
“They have done these extensions even without our knowledge. We have the responsibility for building approvals and from what I have been told, all of the four buildings around the collapsed building never applied for approval.
“This is total recklessness of the developers and we will make a strong point out of this place and all around Banana Island. Any officers found culpable will also be sanctioned.”
He added, “It is heart-breaking each time we have to go through this and it shows sometimes how irresponsible those developers and some of our citizens that just want to make quick money are. And of course, our officers who are also not alive to their responsibilities.
“We have had to change staff here and there so that we can bring forward robust and very strong monitoring officers. We will continue to do what we need to do to ensure that we keep the lives of our residents safe at all times.”
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