Lagos Demolition Not Targeted At Igbos, Buildings Were Unapproved — Commissioner

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that the buildings demolished in the state lacked approval from any of its agencies.

The government claimed that these structures were hastily constructed during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in the state, Oluyinka Olumide, made this revelation in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Wednesday.

Olumide said, “We will not demolish any approved building, that’s for sure. So, if there is anybody who claims that their buildings were approved and demolished, let them come forward.

According to him, the structures were never approved by any of the government agencies vested with such powers.

He said, “Buildings not done within the confines of the law are subject to demolition.”

However, the commissioner urged owners of the demolished structures in Ikota, Lekki, Alaba, Ajao Estate, Abule Ado, Ladipo Market, and various other areas of the state to step forward with their building approvals.

Meanwhile, Olumide countered claims that the state government is specifically targeting homeowners from the southeast geopolitical zone, stating that these allegations are untrue.

He said, “Anybody can own a building in Lagos so long as you follow the laid-down rules. It’s unfortunate that maybe what we have done in recent times will concern those from certain parts of the country.”

“Those buildings causing this uproar are buildings rushed during the COVID period when activities of enforcement officers were at a low ebb because of restrictions on movement, and you could see that when those buildings were demolished, nobody has come forward to say they were demolished under approval.”

The commissioner reassured state residents that the government would not demolish any structure that has received approval.

Kanyi Daily recalls that the Lagos State Government had vowed that more structures would go down amid controversies surrounding the demolition of buildings in the state.