By Maduka Nweke
In an apparent move to protect Lagos from illegal development and remove illegal and non-conforming petroleum stations from its environs, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has extends its jurisdictional enforcement to Badagry Division area of the state.
LASBCA, decrying illegal development, encroachment on government land, its haphazard situation, and non-conforming Building codes in Badagry division of the State, said that some ongoing developments in the area is in deviance to the State’s Physical Planning Law and will be allowed.
In order to halt further development of illegal structures within the community, a joint enforcement team of LASBCA and LASPPPA led by the General Manager of LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Oki stormed the area for a week long enforcement for compliance activities serving abatement notices and removal of structures illegally erected without recourse to the state Physical Planning Development Laws.
Gbolahan Oki, the General Manager of LABSCA, who had earlier paid a courtesy call on the Oba of Badagry, Alapa of Apa and Oba of Imeke for their royal blessings said that if the illegal developments are not checked on time, such would pose huge threat to residents of the, will also distort the aesthetics of the community and create security threat to the area.
Oki commended the traditional institution for supporting the agency and the Sanwo-Olu administration, Babajide Sanwo – Olu for all his laudable projects in the State. “The Building Planning Law being enforced by LASBCA does not limit our operations to the Mainland alone, our activities cover everywhere there’s building construction which include buildings in the coastal areas, hence the extension of our activities to this part of the State,”he said.
The LASBCA General Manager said that the Agency had created and made provisions for District Offices in the area to ease transportation challenges of coming to the headquarters of LASBCA by residents of Badagry communities, disclosing that District Officers from the agency had been attached to the various communities to periodically provide enlightenment on how to ensure proper documentation for building constructions.
Speaking on the rationale behind the sealing of petroleum Filling stations by the agency, Arc. Oki stated that Badagry has the largest number of filling stations in Lagos and most of them are cited within residential areas without any building approval by the state government.
He further explained that some are also cited in areas planned as an hospitals, school or recreational centers.
The General Manager stressed that the courtsey call to the palace is also to intimate them of growing illegal building development and indiscriminate citing of several Petroleum Filling station back to back without approval and it’s attendant consequences to the area.
He explained that the enforcement initiative to the area is to compel compliance for a better Phsical Planning development that is based on international best practices. He therefore sought their support for the enforcement activities that will bring a change in the attitude of some recracitant developer for a well planned city status.
