Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, on Monday said it will begin to use agents from Certified Accredited Program, CAP, to enforce compliance with building standards across all the 57 councils through Stage Inspection of building under construction in the State.
At the Press Conference held at the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, headquater in Ikeja GRA, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Abiodun, said that as a responsible government, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the lives and property of the citizens.
From L-R Tpl. Olalekan Odujebe,Director of Urban Development; Tpl. Animashaun Oladimeji, General Manager, LASURA; Dr. Olajide Abiodun Babatunde, Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS & Urban Development; Builder Gbaye Florence, General Manager, LASBCA; Segun Williams, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Urban Development at the Stakeholders meeting with the Lagos State Government on physical planning in the state at Ikeja on Monday
He noted that the CAP Agents will be used to monitor all construction going on in their districts and report back to LASBCA officials who in turn will carry out verification on whether the building had approvals or not.
The Special Adviser also said that every drawing plan will be screened by the government and paid for by the owners to ensure they comply with specifications within the area before commencement of construction.
“We are going to be doing monitoring and enforcement in all the council areas. In a district, our target is for our officers to get to every construction site in every district and the only way we can build capacity is to engage members of the public. We want people to build but they must understand that they must be right. The CAP Agents are people of integrity.” He said.
Stakeholders at the forum
He urged Lagosians to ensure they get approvals from the government before embarking on any building construction.
“If you are going to build a property, make sure you get approval. If you are buying a property, ensure it has approval. No project proceeds to the next stage until relevant agencies approve it.” He added.
On urban regeneration of the State, Abiodun said “regeneration has come to stay”, noting that the state government has carried out regeneration in areas such as Oworonshoki, Jankara, Bonbata, Adeniji-Adele, Pelewura-Onirin, Otumara among others.
He however absolved the state government of the demolition at Otumara but said since all land belongs to the government, it will take responsibility for it.
“The government is still responsible for anything anyone will do in the state. The government is responsible for everybody,” Abiodun said.
The General Manager, LASBCA, Bldr. Gbaye Florence urged staff of the agency to ensure enforcement of the building laws in the state .
“As professionals, we all know the right thing to do. I charge all of us to take it upon ourselves to have voluntary compliance.” She said.