Kunle ADELABU
-Council staff members yet to vacate secretariat 3 weeks after Ayangbure’s appeal
The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABCA) has sealed off House No. 80, Lagos Road, one of the two apartments rented as temporary office complex for Ikorodu Local Government.
The house was sealed up on Thursday, July 26, 2018, by the officials of the state government building control agency for contravention of regulation law.
Our reporter gathered that the building belongs to one Mr Hakeem Odusanya but was developed by a developer, Alhaji Olorunojowon Fashanu, who, according to report, still has legal right over the building according to the agreement reached with the owner of the land.
THE IMPACT also gathered that the demarcation and other fittings in the two rented buildings for the council are yet to be completed, thereby, delaying the movement of the council’s staff members and their properties.
It was also gathered that the state government, through the IBILE Holdings, are handling the demarcation and other interior works of the rented buildings.
“The delay is beyond the council. Those apartments were rented by the state government for us and they are the one handling the demarcation and other interior fittings”, a senior staff of the council had told our reporter.
“We cannot move to the temporary office apartments until the work going on there is completed.”
When our reporter visited the place in the morning of Saturday, July 28, a quit notice, under the Lagos State Urban and Development Law 2018, was pasted at the entrance of one of the rented building by the Enforcement department of LABCA.
The building was also sealed off with red tape to bar anyone from gaining access into the building.
According to the quit notice, it was stated that LABCA had observed, “illegal conversion of the three floor structure to commercial use without evidence of building planning permit from the Lagos State Government”.
“In view of the above, you are hereby advised to remove all valuables and vacate the property within 48hrs (2days)from the date of the service of this Notice”, the quit notice had directed.
“Take note that the authority will not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from failure to comply with the advice given above”, the quit notice stated further.
Also sealed are houses 78a and 78b beside the rented temporary office complex for Ikorodu LG.
The two buildings reportedly belong to Pa Taiwo Awobajo but were also developed by Alhaji Fashanu.
According to some of the members of Awobajo family who spoke with THE IMPACT, they had on many occasions complained to the developer on the quality of materials used in constructing the affected buildings.
Speaking with our reporter, Hon. Gbenga Awobajo, Ward A Councilor, Ikorodu Local Government and son of Pa Taiwo Awobajo, said that he had lodged several complaints during and after the completion of the structures over the buildings but that instead for the developer to take to correction, he picked fight with him.
“The building is just two years and few months old, but the roof has started leaking. So many things are wrong with the buildings and I had tried severally to call him( developer) to address these issues but he always quarrelled with me”, Hon Awobajo stated.
“Whenever I’m going out, I usually positioned buckets at the leaking spots so that the dropping water from the ceiling will not damage my properties.
“Look at the fences that he constructed, it has detached from each other and about collapse on the school behind our house and the one on the left side is about to collapse on another person’s property. We have called his attention to all these but he is not ready to do anything.
“I have also called the attention of the school to the state of the fence but they too are not responding. This is a school with kids.”
While taking our reporter round the house, Hon. Awobajo also pointed to the construction of soak-away and well closer to the plce where Pa Awobajo was interred.
“Take a look at how close he constructed a well and soak-away nearer to each other and the two are not too far from where papa was buried. We warned against this and he was told that the regulations stipulates the metres that must be observed when constructing all these but refused listening to us”, he stated.
When contacted, Alhaji Fashanu denied that inferior materials were used in building the houses.
“The properties were built with quality materials and certified by the Lagos State Government. In fact, I have the report of the engineer.
“Lagos State Government that rented the other apartment is in possession of all the necessary papers regarding the house and this you can confirm from relevant agency. Part of the condition before the property was paid for was that some tests must be carried out and it was the government that brought those that did the test and it was certified”, Alhaji Fashanu stated.
When told that the reason for the sealing of the property rented by the State Government as Ikorodu LG temporary offices, Alhaji Fashanu stated, “Only the Lagos State Government can answer that. The building was certified before it was rented. I really do not think that is problem at all since nobody is stopping Ikorodu LG from moving into the apartment.
Alhaji Fashanu also denied erecting the fences which are on the verge of collapsing.
In a related development, it’s been three weeks since the intervention and appeal by the traditional ruler of Ikorodu, His Royal Majesty, Oba Kabir Shotobi, the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, that the council’s staff members should vacate the premises of Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat located on T.O.S Benson Avenue, for the development of the proposed Shopping mall and the directive is yet to be carried out.
Oba Shotobi had visited the council secretariat on Monday, July 9, 2018, to appeal to the council’s staff members to relocate to the rented temporary offices and to also explain the importance of the shopping mall to be built on the secretariat premises.
The royal father, after meeting with the staff members, led the Council Chairman, Hon. Wasiu Adesina, Vice Chairman, Princess Folashade Olabanji-Oba, members of the Legislative Arm and other senior staff members of the council to the temporary office apartments and blessed them for operations after touring the facilities.
At the council temporary offices, the council chairman along with Alhaji Afinni, Secretary to the Ikorodu LG, Mr Kunle Dipe, Head of the Council Administration and the Clerk of the House, signed the document signaling the commencement of the official work but unfortunately, nothing is happening yet at the two rented apartments prior to the sealing of one of them by the state government’s building control agency.
