In a resolute move, the Lagos State Government, via the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), has vowed to dismantle buildings that do not possess the required building permits.
The General Manager of the agency, Gbolahan Oki, made this disclosure during a press conference on Friday.
He said, “My duty is for any property without a building plan approval, of which I would have to serve all the necessary notices, and once these notices are served without anyone providing a document to that effect, it means that property is an illegal structure.
“This issue has been going on around Ogombo, Eti-Osa area of the state in the last 5 years, and I have been on it for one and a half year. Hence, we are doing the needful by removing the illegal structures because the government must perform their duty.”
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Addressing the demolition of certain properties in the Ogombo area, the head of LABSCA stated that the majority of the buildings were makeshift shanties.
“80–90 percent are shanties, and between 5 – 10 structures at Ogombo are without building plan approval,” he noted.
As he expressed his concern about the problem of land grabbers interfering with the work of government officials in the Ogombo, Eti-Osa area of the state, he pointed out that despite the official notices issued, these individuals persisted in constructing structures on land that rightfully belonged to the state government and was designated for housing purposes.
He declared, “We have been on Ogombo, Eti-Osa area of the state for over 5–10 years. It is land owned by the state government and meant for housing.
“The land grabbers keep going there to disturb the government officials, sell the lands, and continue to build on those lands meant for the state government; some even come with a fake Certificate of Occupancy.
“We have to stop this act and note that land grabbers are not bigger than the government or the people, and we really need to curb them.”
Oki, thereafter, urged that a proper due diligence process be conducted before a property is bought.
“When due diligence is conducted, the legal practitioner involved in documenting the agreement will be able to decipher the status of the property,” he concluded.