The
Lagos State Government {LASG} says that it has been putting measures in place
to nip in the bud the incidents of building collapse in the state.
The Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan
Lawal, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.
Lawal said that the ministry had been carrying
out integrity tests on residential and commercial buildings regularly to avoid
a recurrence of building collapse.
He also said that the state government had
employed engineers to strengthen its workforce for effective monitoring of
buildings in the state.
The commissioner added that both the old and new
staff members had been going on regular training to be in tune with the latest
developments in the various fields.
Lawal said part of the job of the monitoring
team was to ensure no building work could go on at night at any building sites,
as such activity would attract penalty.
“If the government discovers that any developer
is building at night or observes that any building does not comply with the
building code, such will be brought down.
“This law is in place and once it is infringed
upon, the offender will be prosecuted as soon as he or she is caught.
“The state government will take over such
property in case of building collapse, while the engineer handling such project
will lose his or her licence.
“We have two cases involving building collapse
currently in court,” he said.
Lawal advised building professionals to stick to
the laws of the state to save lives and properties.
The commissioner also said that there was the
state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development responsible for
enforcing all the building codes in Lagos State.
“It ensures that builders and developers comply
with the building code from their foundation levels up till when they will be
completed.’’
Lawal said that at every stage of construction
at a building site, there would be an approval to certify that the work being
done complied with the building code.
He said that it was part of the mechanisms put
in place by the state government to end building collapse in the state.
“We also have e-physical planning permit to
check and test the materials on sites for building.
“Lagos State is a city/state with loads of
institutional structures that will make it difficult for quacks to strive in
the building industry, “he said.
He said that the ministry was also expected to
certify completed buildings as being fit for living after completion.
Lawal also said there was no more hiding place
for quackery and the use of substandard materials in the building industry in
the state.
He said that the officials from the relevant
ministries and representatives of professional bodies in the building industry
usually monitor the activities of building and site engineers.
“There is no hiding place for quackery in the
building industry as all professional bodies have regional and district offices
across the state for easy monitoring,’’ he said.
The commissioner also said that some states had
been visiting Lagos State to understudy what they were doing and how they had
been successful with it. (NAN)
SOURCE:
NEW TELEGRAPH
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