The warning of the the immediate past Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos State, Mr Fransisco Abosede, should not be taken lightly because, he is an ex-pact in that field with experience.
The state government should act fast and salvage the future occurrence of collapses that might lead to loss of lives.
There are strong signals that more buildings may collapse in Lagos, judging by the number of defective structures marked by the state government for demolition early this year and the incessant downpour.
The immediate past Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos State, Mr Fransisco Abosede, said before quitting office in May that over 1,923 buildings had been marked for demolition but that the government could not act because the occupants refused to leave the buildings.
According to him, 976 of the buildings were located on Lagos Island, with 617 recommended for renovation and 346 recommended for test while 13 were to be demolished.
He said that 656 of such buildings were identified in Ajeromi/Ifelodun, with 320 of them slated for renovation and 233 subjected to test while the remaining 103 were to be demolished.
In Somolu and Kosofe local government areas, Abosede identified 291 buildings out of which 214 were to be renovated while 77 were recommended for demolition.
However, barely two months after the commissioner spoke about the non-compliance of occupants with the government policy to demolish the defective structures, another house collapsed on Lagos Island killing over 10 people while several others were trapped in the debris.
Speaking to newsmen on Thursday, the new Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Remi Ibirogba, said that many people had built structures in such a way that it would be difficult for easy evacuation to be done.
Though he explained that evacuating the occupants might not pose any problem to the government, the residents must work with the administration to ensure that security of life was achieved.
He said, "Nigerians have to take it that selfishness is not the name of the game now. Everybody that must live must live well and must not be selfish."
Tribune