INAPPROPRIATE DEMOLITION COLLAPSED OKE ARIN BUILDING ON LAGOS ISLAND
Read Time:3 Minute, 37 Second
Ife Adewole
On Monday, March 18, 2019, it was reported that a building beside another building that was undergoing demolition collapsed, trapped many residents and four workers who were eventually rescued.
The Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA on Monday in a Press release signed by the General Manager, Engr. Lekan Shodeinde, debunked the collapsed of a three storey building at 57, Egerton Street Oke Arin Lagos Island.
He stressed that only the agency has the responsibility and professional expertise to determine whether a building is distressed or prone to collapse.
Hotjist gathered from the residents that the building do not collapse but went down on the hired workers during demolition because of inappropriate demolition process.
One of the Traders in the building, who simply identified himself as Kehinde welder, explained that Lagos State building Control Agency, LASBCA served them demolition notice on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
In the letter, LASBCA advised them to demolish the building within two weeks otherwise; the agency will do that for them with a fine of Two million naira.
In other not to pay the fine, the owner of the building hired workers to demolish it.
Kehinde explained that the hired workers seems not to be experience enough that was why the building fell unexpectedly and trapped four out of the eight workers, adding that none of the workers sustain serious injury.
He said “What happen was that Lagos state came to our building to give us notice on Saturday, in the letter they gave us two weeks to demolish the building that if not we will pay two million naira fine. On Sunday, they came around to mark the building for demolition, on Monday morning, they brought ‘Mallam’ (hired workers) that will demolish the building, they were eight in number, they were demolishing the building, and it doesn’t just collapse”.
Another Trader who owns three stores in the building, Mr Onyekwere Nnaji laments that the Lagos State Government did not give him time to evacuate his goods from the building before bringing workers to demolish it on Monday.
Nnaji said his goods worth over 6 million naira are under the rubble.
He accused the government officials who brought men to demolish the building out of anger over his refusal to pay N100, 000.00 bribes they requested from him to avail him more time to pack his goods.
He wails, “Ah it it is a pity! Because this is my packing store, I have three stores in the building; I have toiletries and provisions inside three stores under the rubble. While they give us notice on Saturday, March 16, 2019. On Sunday morning we came here and started packing the goods, it was three buildings they marked, they started with the first one, and we begged them to allow us to pack our goods from the first one because that is where they started, while we were packing the goods on Sunday they left.
“We finished packing that on Sunday, on Monday they just came from nowhere, many of them, (hired workers) instead of starting from the roof, they were hitting the pillar from beneath that was why the building fell and trapped four of them.
“Also, they are supposed to give us time to pack our goods, they marked it on Saturday, started demolishing on Sunday and on Monday even when I was begging for extra three days to pack my goods, they asked me to pay N100,000.00, I even bargain N20,000.00 but they insisted. Out of annoyance because they saw me packing my goods, they rushed down to collapse the very store I put my goods”. Nnaji laments
Hotjist gathered that the demolition of the building was not initially initiated by Staff of LASBCA, and LASBCA's staff do not request for the sum of N100,000.00 from any of the traders.
The hired workers who were employed by the owner of the building requested the sum of one hundred thousand naira from the trader whose goods are about to be trapped under the rubble.
About 10:00am on Tuesday March 19, 2019, LASBCA staff invaded the scene of the incident and barricaded the area to conduct proper demolishing of the building and other marked buildings.
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