Banana Island building collapse: many projects at risk of demolition.
Governor Sanwoolu at Banana Island building collapse site
The immediate fall out of the recent building collapse of a project at Banana Island is that the Lagos State Government will proceed on widespread demolition of ‘illegal’ projects in Banana Island, Ikoyi especially and this will spread to the highbrow locations of Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki. The demolitions are a direct order of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu who has advocated a ‘no nonsense’ approach to the issue of contravention of building approvals. Indeed, the enforcement arm of the Government has proceeded to demolish over twenty projects in Banana Island which had ‘Stop Worker’ Orders but the developers had continued to work on the projects.
In a deliberately captioned strongly worded statement tagged “COLLAPSED BUILDING: SANWO-OLU CONDEMNS DEVELOPERS’ ILLEGAL, RECKLESS ACTIVITIES” the Lagos State Government released direct quotes from the Governor on the culpability of the developers after a visit to the site on April 22, 2023. Unlike in the past, the Governor has not waited for the result of the official panel set up by his Government but identified the reason for the collapse of the project.
He said during the visit: “A lot of investigation is going on right now and you can see that they are still clearing the rubbles at the site. We have given the order to stop work, not only at this site but also at all of the construction sites in Banana Island.
Banana Island Collapsed building site
“You have all seen the extent of what I will call an unapproved extension into the water. You can see that the original line for Banana Island is even not where we are. It is way in front there and you can see that several extensions have been granted by both the Federal Ministry of Work and Housing and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). These are the two federal agencies that have been culpable for those extensions.
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“They have done these extensions even without our knowledge. We have the responsibility for building approvals and from what I have been told, all of the four buildings around the collapsed building never applied for approval.
“This is total recklessness of the developers and we will make a strong point out of this place and all around Banana Island. Any officers found culpable will also be sanctioned.”
He then ordered the immediate demolition and sealing of many completed and uncompleted buildings with various building infractions and those that were not granted appropriate approvals for construction by agencies of government.
Another fall out is a purge of the lower ranked officers of the Government who are culpable of either dereliction of duty or outright connivance with developers. After the 2021 collapse of the Fourscore building in Ikoyi, the Government accepted the resignation of the then Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Idris Salako. Replacing him with Engr. Tayo Bamigbose-Martins and suspending the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Arc. Gbolahan Oki, who has since ben reinstated. The conclusion now is that the junior officers must also be disciplined if the sector is to be sanitised and the incidence of building collapses eradicated.
Governor Sanwo-Olu had stressed “It is heartbreaking each time we have to go through this and it shows sometimes how irresponsible those developers and some of our citizens that just want to make quick money are. And of course, our officers who are also not alive to their responsibilities.
“We have had to change staff here and there so that we can bring forward robust and very strong monitoring officers.”
