One dies, 15 rescued as two-storey building collapses in Lagos

LABSCA demolishes 15 illegal structures in Obalende 

At least one person was confirmed dead and 15 others were rescued alive yesterday, following a building collapse at No. 97, Haruna area of Ikorodu, Lagos.

The incident was said to have occurred on Monday night. It took the timely intervention of people nearby, who mobilised to carry out initial rescue activities before the fire service and Police arrived at the scene.
 
The Guardian gathered that the two-storey building, which collapsed, had been marked for demolition by the State’s building control agency (LABSCA).

But the   General Manager of LABSCA, Gbolahan Oki, an architect, said the collapsed building was not distressed but abandoned.
According to him, issues of collapse have been reduced due to pro activeness in identifying and removing such buildings but the major challenge is that residents are reluctant to move out of distressed buildings. He said the agency has in the last few weeks removed 45 distressed buildings in Lagos State to avert collapse.

These buildings, he said, had earlier been identified and published in national dailies. He said: “We remain committed in ensuring that incidences of collapse are eradicated or at least brought down to a barest minimum.

“We appeal to Lagosians to assist us in this drive by reporting distressed and illegal constructions….. Together we can stamp out building collapse and safeguard precious lives and properties of Lagosians.”

MEANWHILE, LASBCA has demolished 15 illegal, haphazard and non conforming structures at Obalende in Ikoyi/Victoria Island Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
   
LABSCA’s General Manager said  the buildings were removed to restore sanity to Obalende and also avert collapse that may lead to possible loss of life and valuable property of owners. 
 
Oki stated that the buildings owners/developers had been served necessary notices ranging from contravention, stop work and removal notices when the structures were still at infancy but rather than do the needful, the owners/developers ignored the notices and quickly rushed the buildings to completion, in the process, doing shoddy jobs that could endanger life and property of Lagosians.
 

The officials, Oki said, comprise of builders, structural engineers, civil engineers, electrical engineers and architects,  He appealed to owners/developers to always build by the rules and urged members of the public to be their brother’s keeper by acting as checkmating officers and report any illegal construction going on in their vicinities, as the agency alone cannot do the job without support of the public.