The Lagos State Government has restated that it will demolish buildings without approvals after the expiration of the 90-day amnesty window.

This was disclosed by the Director, Public Affairs Unit, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Mr Olaoye Olusegun, on Wednesday in Lagos.

Olusegun said the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr Olajide Babatunde, made this known during a workshop organised by the agency in Ikeja on Tuesday.

The workshop, titled “Understanding Building Control in Lagos State,” was aimed at addressing various issues and misconceptions regarding the agency’s activities.

Babatunde emphasised the importance of obtaining certifications and having insurance coverage in the construction industry.

He stressed that every building in the state should have a certificate of completion and fitness for habitation, as well as an insurance policy that can provide support during emergencies like fire incidents.

“As a step towards reduction in building collapse in the state, no building should be occupied in the state without possessing the Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation issued by the State Building Control Agency, which is renewable every five years,” he stated.

Babatunde also emphasised the governor’s instructions for owners of buildings with attachments to promptly remove them.

He stated that these attachments would be prohibited in the state as they impede rescue operations during emergencies.

He explained that the Lagos State Building Control Agency, on behalf of the state government, had proactively notified owners about demolishing distressed buildings in the area.

He added that the state government published in three national dailies, 359 distressed buildings across the state, with over 90 per cent of such buildings pulled down by the owners to avoid disaster.

Earlier, the General Manager of LASBCA, Mr Gbolahan Oki, emphasised the importance of the workshop in providing clarity on LASBCA’s operations and guidance on obtaining necessary certifications from the agency.

Oki urged building owners in the state to adhere to rules and regulations governing the building and construction industry, emphasizing that it is cost-effective to do so.

He mentioned that after the governor’s amnesty period ends, LASBCA will require documentation such as a certificate for fitness and habitation issued by State Building Control, proof of meeting requirements, and a certificate of building insurance.

Oki advised developers to construct buildings according to approved specifications and permits.

An insurance consultant, Mr Yemi Solajoye, stressed the need for all buildings in the state to have insurance coverage against disasters like building collapse or fire outbreaks.

He called for mandatory enforcement of insurance coverage on buildings by owners as a means of mitigating losses during emergencies.

A retired Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Fuad Oki,advocated increased public engagement at grassroots levels where violations of building regulations are common.

In April, officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources commenced the demolition of buildings erected on drainages in the Ojota and Ogudu areas of the state.

The ministry’s Director of Public Affairs, Kunle Adeshina, said the demolition came after the expiration of notice given to the property owners to remove the contravening structures.

A group of 60 federal lawmakers on Wednesday said the 27 lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly whose seats were declared vacant in December 2023 following their defection to the All Progressives Congress from the Peoples Democratic Party, lack the powers to serve Governor Siminalayi Fubara impeachment notice.

In a telephone interview with PUNCH Online on Wednesday night, the spokesman for the group and member representing Ideato South/North Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere, slammed the lawmakers for calling for Fubara’s impeachment.

“The call for the impeachment of the governor is a call to anarchy that will lead to the collapse of democracy if the President doesn’t call them to order.

“Unless there is a supreme order of the court, these 27 lawmakers have lost their seats. We cannot allow this absurdity because the APC Minister is working with the president and you now want to overthrow a legitimate Governor.

“The President needs to intervene because it is issues like these that led to the collapse of democracy in the 70s and 80s. If they are popular, they should contest fresh elections,” he said.

According to the G-60 lawmakers, the purported veto of the powers of the governor by the group of 27 persons “Parading themselves as Rivers State lawmakers” was nothing but legislative rascality taken too far.

The 60 federal lawmakers stated this in a formal reaction to the alleged overriding of the assent of Governor Fubara to pass the Rivers State Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill 2024.

Fubara has been involved in a fierce political battle with the lawmakers since falling out with his political godfather and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike.

In a statement signed by the spokesman for the group, Ugochinyere, the group described the veto as null and void.

Ugochinyere said, “These clowns as far as we are concerned, are still moving about freely parading themselves because of Governor Fubara’s mercy and largely in obedience to the peace accord brokered by President Bola Tinubu to end the political crisis in Rivers tate. However, while the Governor has stuck to the accord, his predecessor and Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike has not, with what his loyalists are doing.

“One of such evidence is the purported veto of Rivers procurement law which is an unenforceable legislative madness by impostors who are scared of the impact of Fubara’s infrastructure revolution.

“If not, how can people worth calling lawmakers even think that mobilisation fee of not more than 20 per cent of any contract sum is enough for suppliers or contractors to move to the site or provide goods and services in the present economic quagmire masterminded by their allies in the federal government?

“It is also on notice that these persons who sit in some hotel rooms in Abuja or anywhere their paymasters take them to, make such pronouncements, have lost the status of lawmakers ever since they dumped the party, the PDP which was a vehicle that brought them to power and joined APC.”

He added that their action “Violated Section 109 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which states that a member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected.

“To this end, these people are not lawmakers and the Independent National Electoral Commission should rise to the occasion and conduct elections to fill those vacant seats and save Rivers State and Nigeria this continuous illegality that the embarrassment that non-existing lawmakers are causing too often.”

“We reiterate that the so-called veto will not be enforced, it is madness taken too far by crowns whose existence under the banner they claim is made possible by the mercy of Governor Fubara who chooses to respect the President and promote peace which to him is sin qua non for the development he is committed to bringing to Rivers State.”

This is the sad story of how the failure of Access Bank’s mobile app led to the death of a nine-year-old girl. The bank’s app reportedly malfunctioned on Monday.

The father of the girl is currently mourning her demise.

The tragic incident, reported by an individual identified as PIDOMNIGERIA, underscored the devastating consequences of technological failures in critical moments.

According to the distraught father, whose identity remained undisclosed, the inability to transfer funds using the Access Bank mobile app directly contributed to his daughter’s demise.

The child, who was in urgent need of medical attention, was admitted to an emergency unit at a local hospital.

Tragically, she was left unattended as her parent grappled with the financial constraints imposed by the malfunctioning app.

The father, described as a single dad working offshore, recounted his harrowing experience, stating that failure of Access Bank @myaccessbank app to function since yesterday has caused him to lose his 9-year-old daughter in a medical emergency.

His anguish and frustration were palpable, echoing the sentiments of many who have faced similar challenges with the bank’s app reliability.

Expressing his grief, the father lamented the recurrent issues plaguing the Access Bank mobile app, condemning the institution’s lack of accountability and explanation for the frequent disruptions.

“Access Bank is a complete shit bank. They always have issues with their bank app without any explanation every now and then,” he asserted.

As the family mourns the loss of their beloved daughter, questions linger about the accountability of financial institutions in ensuring the seamless functioning of essential services, especially during emergencies.

Access Bank had yet to respond to the allegations or provide clarification regarding the reported app malfunction as of press time.

Meanwhile, the grieving father and his family are grappling with the devastating aftermath of the preventable tra

gedy.

Credit: Leadership