Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), has directed that property owners and developers all over the State must ensure that all relevant professionals such as Structural/Civil, Mechanical, Electrical Engineers and Architects in the built environment are fully engaged in any building projects in the State.
The General Manager of LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki (FNIA), who gave the directive in his office, added that any building project site that flouts the directive to engage building professionals who specialise in the design, construction, maintenance and management in their construction projects will have such site sealed and possibly removed.
Arc. Oki noted that the directive became necessary to safeguard the building construction industry and ensure that buildings in the state are safe, secure and fit for habilitation.
The General Manager also directed that henceforth, nobody should be found sleeping in any building under construction after the close of work, especially at night. He disclosed that officials of the Building Control Agency will be inspecting construction sites across the state, especially at night, to ensure compliance.
He disclosed that the construction period in the state remains from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday. He warned that henceforth, any property developer or owners who engage workers to carry out construction work on Sundays and beyond 7 pm on Monday to Saturday will have his or her property sealed indefinitely.
The General Manager further directed that all buildings under construction in the last seven months in the state must, as a matter of urgency, be re-certified by the Building Control Agency to ascertain their structural stability.
Furthermore, Oki stressed the need for Lagosians to comply with Building Codes and Regulations to curb the menace of building collapse in the State and avoid unnecessary loss of lives.
He appealed to property owners/developers in the State whose property is not covered by a valid Planning Permits plan to regularise them and ascertain the structural stability of their buildings, especially during this rainy season.
OO/TMS/KO
