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Fashola Vows To Prosecute Landlords Of Collapse Buildings
July 10, 2009 14:26, 277 views
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has vowed to prosecute landlords of buildings that collapse in the state.
The governor, who spoke at a one-day workshop on disaster management in Lagos, lamented the increasing rate of collapsed buildings in the state.
“Owners of such buildings are to forfeit such property to the state government in addition to possible prosecution if they refuse to comply with government’s directives, building regulations and town planning laws.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the state government’s policy on forfeiture of collapsed property has been in force and we will continue to enforce it to serve as a deterrent to unscrupulous property developers,” said Fashola, whose speech was read by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Tola Kasali.
Fashola also said that potential emergency and disaster situations that pretend to be part of “our growth process as a metropolitan entity must be tackled decisively and quickly too.”
“We are all witnesses to the near-permanent menace which the petrol tankers and other trailers have become on Lagos roads. Fire incidents and needless road traffic jams and accidents are two of the major problems that frequently occur from the gridlock often caused by their activities.
“Industrial fires, pipeline explosions, building collapse, flood and sundry others are some of the most worrisome of the daunting challenges, which confront us as we continue our determined journey into our dream status as a model mega-city,” he stated.
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OLAJIDE OJO
10 July 2009 14:33THIS IS A GOOD ONE,BUT THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT STILL NEED TO IMPROVE ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION IN THE STATE IN GENERAL.ANY PROPERTY DEVELOPER OR OWNER WHO IS GUILTY SHOULD ALSO BE MADE TO PAY COMPENSATION,FINE AND IF POSSIBLE SENTENCE TO AT LEAST FIVE YEARS JAIL TERMS.
Sharon Jaja Douglas
10 July 2009 17:43This is not a matter of ‘vow’. This urgently has to do with ‘prosecute’ them immediately. This is not a matter of only compensation, it should be to make the shylock and callous landlords/ladies face the death peanalty whenever, and wherever lives are lost as a result of their buildings collapsing.
TJ
10 July 2009 18:34In as much as I concur with the prosecution agenda of the state government, I will dare say that the state government (albeit past ones) is often culpable in the collapse of the buildings. The culpability stem from its failure to provide the basic infrastructure that will sustain the properties in question. Case in point is the incessant flooding currently ravaging the roads of Lagos. Anyone that has common sense knows that the bricks/concrete’s life span is shortened substantially if soaked in water. Bearing in mind that Lagos state is under water to start with, the government’s failure to provide and maintain good drainage exacerbates the already bad situation. This combined with our culture of poor maintenance; it is no surprise that buildings are collapsing at every turn. Most, if not all, of the collapse occurs in areas where the street stays water logged for months. The sustained soaking of the foundation weakens these buildings and inevitably contributes to their demise. In some clear cases there were poor and shoddy work done by the “developers” because there was no inspection or the inspectors were bribed. Overall, maintaining good drainage will help keep the bricks dry and by extension the buildings standing longer
TJ
10 July 2009 18:43Addendum
The state should legislate that its property owners provide both drainage and walkway in front of their buildings upon new construction (as part of the construction) to alleviate the cost to the state.
Niyi
11 July 2009 17:30What is Lagos state govt’s policy on building affordable housing for the masses?
It appears Fashola is not interested in providing affordable houses for the masses.
Someone should please inform Fashola to emulate what Jakande did between 1979 and 1983.
Lagosians are ready to vote for another person who is willing to emulate Jakande in Lagos.
BUZUZU
13 July 2009 09:08Good Fashola