LASG begins enforcement of laws on distressed buildings

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By Chris Otaigbe

As the rains intensify and flood pounds streets, neighborhoods and roads, Lagos State Government, on Sunday, begun stiff enforcement of laws against distressed buildings, while calling on property owners to carry out immediate integrity tests or risk demolition.

Speaking to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the General Manager, Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), Dr Afolabi Abiodun, said property owners who did not ascertain the structural stability of their buildings risk sanctions.

Advising construction companies, developers, estate agents, builders and other stakeholders in the built environment, Abiodun imparted on them the need to comply by testing their construction materials, ongoing and completed buildings to avert risks.

According to him, enforcement would be a more proactive solution, in line with Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s zero tolerance for building collapse, adding that, using right materials would prevent construction failure.

The general manager, who assumed office in February, said soil test was also very important before any type of construction can be embarked upon, to safeguard the structure from imminent collapse.

“Enforcement has taken a new toll in Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory now. Before my arrival, there was no enforcement and that is why I say there is a new Sheriff in town to unleash the law of the agency on all distressed buildings.

“There is need for those who have completed their buildings to do the Non-Destructive Test (NDT) and this test which we call the NDT is to be done every five years,’’ he said.

He affirmed that the agency had begun massive awareness campaign to sensitize the public and was equally educating artisans in the built environment on dangers of compromising quality of building materials.

Abiodun explained that he has had several meetings with Association of Block Makers and had embarked on enforcement visits to quack block producers not using the right proportion of mixtures for production, adding that several block makers had been sanctioned in Alimosho and Ikorodu Local Governments, saying that the quality assurance enforcement was ongoing and would reach all parts of the state.

He said that the agency was operating on the Standard Organizations of Nigeria (SON)’s requirement, making deliberate efforts to ensure building professionals *complied* to eliminate quackery.

Abiodun said that he had scheduled a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) for Tuesday to pave way for more collaboration toward taming construction failure in the state.

“We want to see what we can do; how do we get to the roots of substandard materials that are being supplied on various sites. We are collaborating together. We are all going out to do this sensitization thing by going to the sources, the suppliers. We want to identify and invite them for a stakeholders’ meeting where the NIOB will be present. We will be able to channel a new course and a new way to prevent supply of substandard materials to site in the built environment,’’ he said.

The general manager appealed to Lagos residents to make their birthday gift to the governor, who turned 55 on Thursday, a visit to the agency to test buildings from one-storey up, as he urged residents to patronize the LSTML to ensure they can test their construction materials to ensure quality to guarantee integrity in order to avert building collapse.

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