Lagos Goes Tough On Illegal Building Conversion

Owners and occupiers of residential buildings converted for other purposes without approval have 30 days to revert to the original design, Lagos State Government said yesterday.

General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, said the notice applies to all structures used as bars, club houses or religious centres located within residential areas and without requisite permit from relevant authorities.

Oki said the notice follows distortion of the state’s master plan, especially of residential areas, thereby constituting nuisance to the environment.

He added that the removal notice became imperative following security concerns of residents and repeated complaints of non-adherence to safety and security guidelines issued to the club owners.

He said: “We are giving them one month’s final notice from today, January 29, to revert all properties converted to churches, mosques, clubs and bars to the original plan or have such buildings removed at their expense.”

Oki said LASBCA earlier identified the illegal and non-conforming structures and served the statutory enforcement notices, but concerned persons have either failed or refused to respond to the notices, hence the service of the final notice.

He urged property owners to take the notice seriously “because nobody will be spared in the effort to sanitise the state, in line with the model mega city status vision of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.”