Apapa building collapse: Developers broke government seal to continue construction

Glory Ebomah

The Lagos State Government, on Sunday, 23 April 2023, said that the three-floor building under construction that partially collapsed at Ladipo Oluwole Street, Apapa, ignored the stop work and seal up orders of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and continued construction behind the scene.

The collapse incident, which was flagged on the physical planning incident management platform on Sunday evening, triggered immediate preliminary enquiries that showed that officers of the State’s Building Control Agency had issued a number of contravention notices, stopped work and sealed up orders which the developer ignored and carried on construction without any recourse, whatsoever, to the authorities.

Mukaila Sanusi, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, stated that there was no report of any casualty; he noted that the site has been cordoned off and taken over by LASBCA.

He said in the terse statement: “This particular incident, like similar others, reinforces governments repeated calls for responsible behaviour on the part of all stakeholders in the built environment.

“Lagos State Government has immediately activated inquiries into the collapse to unravel the minute details and guide appropriate actions.”