The Lagos State Government has attributed the recurring cases of building collapse in the state to the failure of some residents and property owners to comply with safety regulations and government directives on distressed structures.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, made the assertion on Friday during an appearance on Arise Television’s News Night while reacting to the collapse of a multi-storey building in the Alakija area of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area on Thursday morning.

According to him, the building that collapsed had previously been declared unsafe and sealed by the government, but some occupants allegedly returned to the premises before it eventually gave way.

“The house had been marked ‘distressed,’ and everybody there had to leave. In fact, at a time, it was shut down. But before the government could come in there to remove the structure, people went back in there,” he said.

Explaining why building collapses continue to occur in Lagos, Omotoso blamed widespread disregard for the law and the tendency of some people to put economic interests ahead of safety.

“As to why it keeps on occurring, it’s very simple: people don’t want to obey the law. If you obey the law, everything will be fine. We keep on marking all these buildings and pulling them down, but before you get to some, this kind of thing happens. So, it’s because people are not responsible. People believe in prioritizing commercial activities and livelihood over life, which is very, very wrong. Once the government says a building is unsafe, I do not see why people should go in there,” he stressed.

The commissioner said the state government has put in place adequate laws and enforcement mechanisms to tackle the menace, adding that agencies regularly identify, seal and demolish distressed buildings.

“The enforcement agencies are there to do their job, and we keep on bringing down all these buildings,” he maintained.

He further disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had ordered the immediate demolition of other distressed structures around the scene of the Alakija collapse to prevent another disaster.

“First, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has directed that all the buildings around the scene of the incident that are weak, that are distressed, that are not supposed to be standing, that are not fit for human habitation, they must be brought down,” Omotoso said.

He also warned that owners of unsafe buildings would be prosecuted and that any government official found to have been complicit in the incident would face sanctions.

“Like I said, any official of the Lagos State Building Control Agency who may have complicity in the incident, they will not go unpunished,” he added.

The commissioner extended the condolences of Governor Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Government to families who lost loved ones in the tragic incident.

PUNCH Online reports that nine persons have been confirmed dead in the incident, while 26 others have been rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building. (Daily Trust)

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