As part of its continuous initiatives to enhance construction sector compliance, particularly along the waterfront corridor, the government has cautioned that demolition may be imminent if required actions are not undertaken.
During a joint inspection by the Commissioners for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Ekundayo Alebiosu, and Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Olumide Olayinka, the property on Queens' Drive in Ikoyi was officially sealed.
The commissioners expressed their dissatisfaction with the company's disregard for the earlier directive to halt construction until the required documentation is provided.
Alebiosu said, “The government cannot ignore and still ask us to go do what we are doing. It is a process. We have received several petitions and complaints, and that is why I am here with HC Physical Planning, to test the veracity of those claims.
“Although serious enforcement will start soon, we issued these people a stop work order two weeks ago, but they disobeyed. We are here today, and we saw them still working, so we had to stop them again, and you can see that they have obeyed that order. We are expecting them to give us their documentation.
“These people also need to go to the Ministry of Environment for their drainage application. They need their EIA, TIA from Transport, their surveys and some other things to get approvals. They cannot just jump on site and start construction. These are some of the infractions our ministry and physical planning have discovered from those applying for approvals.”
On his part, Olayinka said his office would come heavily on defaulters, adding that quit notices would be served and demolition would follow.
He said, “As you can see, we’ve gone around today. The laws of Lagos Physical Planning state that all developments need to be approved before you commence construction; and not only that, you need our control in terms of certifying stages.
“Most of the structures you see along the waterway do not have approval; that is why we are marking them. Those of them that we have identified to have extended beyond the approval given, we shall compel them to comply.
