As frequent cases of building collapse continue to take its toll on the nation, the Lagos State Government, at the weekend, implored residents and Community Development Associations, (CDAs) to monitor and report any suspected development of property that did not conform to building regulations.
The State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, who stated this at an interactive session with residents, stakeholders of Ikeja Local Government, Ojodu and Onigbongbo Local Council Development Areas revealed that the State government has ordered owners of filling stations, restaurants and fast-food outlets in the State to build toilets for the general use of members of the public in their stations.
Ayinde stressed that the task of making Lagos State a frontline city in Nigeria in terms of development and transformation was a collective responsibility and said that achieving a sustainable environment could only be attained by adhering to planning rules and regulations.
Harping on the incessant collapse of buildings, he urged the residents and CDAs to seek information on building development to know when people were taking wrong steps in building production process.
He said that his ministry, in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment, has started pulling down structures built on drainages and canals to forestall flooding during the rainy season.
“I want to implore everyone to seek information from our offices before embarking on development. This information is provided free of charge to people. I must also add that we all must monitor physical development in our environment because we can never tell what type of structure it could lead to, it could be a warehouse or multiple storey building without approval. If government is informed on time, it can speedily step in unlike when it has to be demolished,” he added.