LASG pulls down illegal structures cited around Aviation pipelines in Ajao Estate
The Lagos State Government (LASG) has pulled down no fewer than 13 buildings at I.K. Peter Street, Ajao Estate, cited in close proximity to the Murtala International Airport, Lagos.
The General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki, giving reasons for the demolishment on Friday disclosed that the buildings lacked required approvals and were cited around pipelines of aviation fuel.
Oki who feared the havoc that a fire outbreak from the pipeline could cause to lives and properties, said the builders also lacked required documents including Certificate of Occupancy (C.O.O).
According to the GM, 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 aviation fuel pipelines, he remarked that “nobody in his right thinking mind will go and buy a plot on a pipeline and build on the pipeline.”
He mentioned that due consultations and communications have been made with enough time of about two years given to the occupants of the affected buildings to evacuate the structures.
Oki lamented that building collapse in Lagos had been a subject of “attitudinal problem”, mentioning that the buildings were a national risks to the airport being “extremely close”, mentioning that no life of a Nigerian is worth being lost to the dangers that the citing of the buildings pose.
He, however, cautioned those slamming criticisms on the government to always dig deep into the right information, calling on them to hear from the side of the government, and not hastily jump into conclusion by being sympathetic to property owners, without considering the danger and hazards that the buildings would cause, should the government turn a blind eye.
Oki who called on Lagosians 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.
On the reports making rounds over incidents of reoccurring collapse of buildings, Oki said recorded incidents, so far, have to do with buildings which developers failed to secure its approval for supervision.
On its part, the authority of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said it invited the Lagos State Government to step into the issue after several warnings in attempt to stop the constructions of buildings were not yielded by those it called “encroachers”, who took from the land of the Airport.
Speaking on Friday, the General Manager, Business Development, FAAN,
Mr. Ngwu Hycienth, applauded the partnership with LASBCA to bring normalcy and decency to the Airport environment.
He lamented that the Authorities of the Airport began to notice encroachment on its land in 2015, defying the standard rule that no building must be cited close to the perimeter fence of an Airport.
He lamented that the buildings do not only pose security threats to the Airport, which he said would inform huge economic losses to the nation, but also has become grounds for theft of aviation fuel and other properties belonging to the Airport.
