The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), has decried the illegal development along the shorelines of Ibeshe Okun coastal community in Oriade Local Council Development, saying that some ongoing developments in the area deviate from the State’s Physical Planning Law.
As a way of halting further development of illegal structures within the communities, the joint enforcement gang of LASBCA and Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LASPPPA, stormed the area on Friday to serve abatement notices and pull down a structure illegally erected beside a government primary school along the community’s shoreline.
Speaking on the enforcement exercise, the General Manager of LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, said that leaving such developments unchecked would pose a huge threat to residents of the area and distort the aesthetics of the community as well as threaten the security architecture of the area.
He explained that the enforcement initiative to the coastal area of Ibeshe Okun community shows that the Agency has gone a step further in establishing its presence across all parts of the State, including the riverine communities and hinterland.
While noting that the difficulty in moving human resources and equipment across the Lagoon had initially been a challenge to the agency, Arc. Oki commended the inter-agency synergy between LASBCA and the Lagos State Ferry Service, LAGFERRY, which made transportation to the creek of Ibeshe possible.
He said: “The Building Planning Law being enforced by LASBCA does not limit our operations to the Mainland alone, our activities cover anywhere there’s a building, which include buildings in the coastal areas, hence the extension of our activities to this part of the State”.
“I thank the Managing Director of LAGFERRY who facilitated the movement of our officials across the waterways. This is a progressive collaboration that would further enhance the delivery of our mandate in getting rid of illegal developments in every part of the State”, he averred.
The LASBCA General Manager said that the Agency had made provisions to ease the transportation challenge of coming to the headquarters of LASBCA by members of the riverine communities, disclosing that District Officers from the agency are attached to various riverine communities for enlightenment on proper documentation for building constructions.
Speaking on the rationale behind the only building that was pulled down by the enforcement gang of the agency during the exercise, Arc. Oki stated that the building, which was planned to be used as a poultry house behind a primary school in the community, constitutes a huge health risk to the school children and their teachers.
According to him, the Agency acted on reports from concerned persons within the community and demolished the illegal building in the interest of public health and the safety of the community members.
He, however, urged all residents to continue abiding by the provisions of the Lagos State Building Planning Plan to achieve the developmental plans of the government for all divisions of the State.
During the exercise, several buildings along the shorelines were issued abatement notices with a directive to cease every construction work until necessary documentation and regularisation are done with LASBCA, LASPPPA and other relevant agencies of the State government.
