Hours after a building collapsed in Lagos on Democracy Day killing two people, the government has tasked residents to henceforth speak out – The Lagos state government says incessant collapse can be stopped if the residents are ready to release information about defective buildings The Lagos government has insisted that whistle-blowing is the surest way to tackle the incessant building collapse in the state. The statement obtained by our source in reaction to the collapse of a building on Monday, May 29 leading to the death of two people. Others are said to be trapped as rescue operations have continued. The government said Lagosians must be willing to assist government by raising alarm whenever they see any illegal development in any area of the state.
The commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tpl Wasiu Anifowoshe, gave the charge at the site of the collapsed building at 9, Daddy Alaja Street, Idumota, Lagos Island.
It was learnt that the building was a defective three-storey under illegal renovation with occupants still residing in it. Anifowoshe said: “This is one out of several worrisome experiences we face everyday on the job. “Dealing with illegal developments here and there in Lagos state should be a joint effort between Lagosians and government. “We need information of such unlawful activities from responsible Lagosians so as to be able to curb the excesses of unscrupulous developers and owners of property in Lagos state.
He added that to avert such occurrences, the state government recently recruited additional field officers to ensure effective monitoring of defective structures however noting that government cannot do it alone. “A distress call to 767 or 117 would have averted this ugly incident. “In this particular case, the owners took advantage of the long Holiday and the fact that the building is hidden right inside those narrow streets in Lagos Island to quickly carry out an unlawful renovation but unfortunately, the building came down.
It was gathered from a reliable source at the scene of the incident that it happened around 7.30 am, at Daddy Alaja Street, Oke Arin on Lagos Island. The source said that the two dead persons, a man and a woman, whose identities could not be confirmed by the respondents, were pulled out of the debris from the three-storey building.
