The Guild is demanding a probe into the roles played by compromised officials in the demolition of Arowojobe, Mende Villa, Lagos, and is calling on the Lagos State Government to take decisive action against those found culpable.
The guild revealed this in a statement signed by Soji Adeniji, the coordinator, BCPG Kosofe Cell recently.
He stated, “To complement the essence of this belated demolition, the government should cast its searchlight on its staff and past political office holders and dispense immediate justice on those of them whose compromise resulted in the current belated wanton destruction of property along System One Channel at Mende, Lagos.
“Where those who have retired are prosecuted for negligence, dereliction of duty, or other offences committed while in service, loyalty to the public interest will be encouraged. Unrepentant, stubborn developers who are fond of flouting building regulations and seducing government officials towards compromise should be held accountable. Such a deliberate offence, impunity, deserves no sympathy.”
He noted that construction professionals who took part in the construction of the illegal buildings that were being demolished should be identified and punished by the regulatory bodies, as the search and authentication of land documents are very crucial before the commencement of construction.
The guild urged the government to provide adequate notice, making sure direct occupants rather than landlords were informed, in order to lessen the suffering of the innocent occupants of buildings designated for demolition.
Adeniji added, “Temporary accommodation or relief camps should be provided by the government for victims of building demolition. Past errors cannot be left to haunt residents perpetually. The demolition of buildings to avert flooding is necessary and painfully irreversible.
“The current building demolition aimed at correcting past mistakes has, in an antithesis, generated an allegation from developers that a government parastatal, Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, laid a substantial precedent, encroaching on the natural watercourse at Alapere (still in Kosofe) by sand filling and situating housing estates in the swampy area beside the highway bridge.”
According to BCPG Kosofe Cell boss, the ongoing demolition of buildings that obstructed the watercourse was a necessity that should bring relief to residents during the approaching rainy season.
He described the demolition exercise embarked upon by the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources as inevitable to save lives and property.
He commended the willpower of the current leadership of the ministry.
“Naturally, as a professional organisation that understands the cost of building construction, the value of an existing building, and the cost implications of building deconstruction or demolition, the importance of preventive measures cannot be overemphasised.’’
“Owners and occupants of demolished buildings are bound to suffer economic losses and social setbacks compounded by psychological and possible health challenges. The consequence of building demolition before an election is quite understood by political officeholders,” he explained.
Recently, the Lagos State Government commenced the demolition of some buildings at Arowojogbe in Mende Estate.
The demolition sparked outrage from residents as video clips of the exercise appeared on social media.
Wahab, giving a reason for the demolition, he said the buildings were brought down to avert flooding of the entire mainland.
The commissioner further explained that the demolished structures were erected on land designated for the System 1 drainage channel, which flows into the Odo Iya Alaro waterway.
