BUILDING COLLAPSE: SANWO-OLU LAUNCHES FITNESS CERTIFICATE TO ENFORCE STATE’S PLANNING CODES

•Governor: ‘Delay in Permit, Approval Processes Inexcusable’

All buildings in Lagos State will now be issued licence for safe habitation. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, launched a rebranded Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation with the objective to safeguard residents’ lives and address the root causes of building collapse.

The Governor empowered the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) with the mandate to issue the certificate to all existing and new building developments, thereby ensuring their resilience and safety for occupancy.

The fitness certificate was initiated to find a lasting solution to structural defects, building collapse and other building contraventions in line with international best practice.

Sanwo-Olu launched the certificate at an event held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Secretariat, Alausa.

The Governor, who described the initiative as a “game changer”, said the financial and emotional loss that usually followed incidents of building collapse led to the design of the innovative approach to control physical developments and safeguard people’s lives.

The State Government’s intention, Sanwo-Olu said, is to ensure the close monitoring of building construction works by LASBCA officials, from the foundation stage to completion.

He said: “This event is a testimony to our determination to address incidents of building collapse, by ensuring that due processes are followed in physical development activities in a way that will usher in new practice and bring about saner environment devoid of avoidable loss of lives and properties.

“The launch of the Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation is one of the moves to further strengthen our resolve to control building collapse incidents. This is a game changer in building control strategies as it portrays us a government that thinks ahead and that is concerned about the safety of lives and properties of the citizens.”

Sanwo-Olu linked previous building collapse incidents recorded in Lagos to low compliance to physical planning laws, noting that unenforced building codes would have dire consequences on lives of the residents.

State government, the Governor said, would start treating house owners, contractors and relevant stakeholders as individuals responsible for collapse of buildings, should they fail to obtain the fitness certificate on their buildings.

Sanwo-Olu also frowned at the long wait usually encountered by private property developers in obtaining planning permits and building approvals, reading riot act to the supervising directors at LASBCA against sharp practices.

The Governor directed the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and its agencies to simplify the approval process for permits in order to speed up the issuance.

He said: “Acceptance of this Certificate of Fitness can only gain a prime place if would-be tenant or property buyer always request for the certificate from the landlord or owner of the building before payment of their rents or conclusion of property transaction to ensure the building is indeed safe.

“The workability of the initiative depends majorly on the level of acceptance by the general public and this will speak volume about our readiness to bring about desired changes in our environment and also embrace ideas that would further ensure our safety and protection.”

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, said LASBCA would be conducting stage-by-stage inspection on building construction to ensure property developers adopt quality construction methods and materials throughout the period of work before issuing the fitness certificate.

The Commissioner said existing buildings seeking to obtain the certificate and buildings detected to be distressed would be required to present satisfying results of Non-Destructive Test in order to ensure the structural integrity and prevent imminent collapse.

Salako charged the Government officials assigned to the task to ensure diligence, integrity and honesty in the discharge of their duty.

LASBCA General Manager, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, said the agency’s core mandate was to correct anomalies in the building construction industry, stressing that the agency would always act in the interest of the public to prevent loss of human lives and valuable properties.

“Without a doubt, the relaunch of the Certificate of Fitness for Habitation stands to benefit both the State and the citizenry. Obtaining the certificate entails that every stage of a building construction will be closely monitored by the LASBCA officials. This process is aimed at ensuring that all buildings in the state are deemed safe and habitable for occupants,” Oki said.

At the event, Governor presented Certificates of Completion and Fitness for Habitation to 20 property developers whose buildings were monitored by LASBCA from foundation to completion.

Sanwo-Olu also donated 30 operational vehicles to LASBCA and Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA).

#ForAGreaterLagos

https://oyotoday.com/building-collapse-sanwo-olu-launches-fitness-certificate-to-enforce-states-planning-codes/

Why won't buildings be collapsing any how allover the country when e be say na only half-baked engineering students our higher institutions dey pump out everyday .


Before you quote me to talk rubbish, lemme quickly inform you that I'm a civil engineer but you see me today,na bakery I for dey hustle on a daily,on a stead

Laws only for the poor

timothy2396:
Jokes aside.... Sanwo Olu is really trying for Lagos... Infact All Lagos Governors are always top notch from Tinubu to Fashioa to Ambode to Sanwo.... Kudos

Tinubu?

Abeg *like* if you believe Nigeria will never be better than Kenya

Good. That's a lovely move

This people Wan finish person, na to just pay for the certificate, funny enough even past buildings will pay for the certificate

Jokes aside.... Sanwo Olu is really trying for Lagos... Infact All Lagos Governors are always top notch from Tinubu to Fashioa to Ambode to Sanwo.... Kudos

Another avenue for extortion....Is it free? How much will the certificate cost? How long is it valid?

Something like NAFDAC number for building.

How much?

[img]https://media1./images/8449c89b2a5a67af4d98b99a8e403eee/tenor.gif?itemid=21379361[/img]

Ok

Another way to increase revenue

Another loophole/avenue to tax property owners.
The bureaucracy of obtaining building permits and such fitness certificates, the hidden fees, charges, the pain and rigors will continually contribute to increasing rental cost.

No be naija?
How much will the certificate cost? OK we will pay.
Question is when did your car actually go for MOT test? But we all have MOT and roadworthiness certificates.
If you know you know.

Obaxxx:

Why won't buildings be collapsing any how allover the country when e be say na only half-baked engineering students our higher institutions dey pump out everyday .


Before you quote me to talk rubbish, lemme quickly inform you that I'm a civil engineering but you see me today,na bakery I for dey hustle on a daily,on a stead

The graduates are not the problem. It's the greedy home owners and property developers who try to ignore directions from registered civil engineers and architects that are behind most of the collapse.

I am sure someone like you wouldn't want to pay a structural engineer for ur home, you'd rather call Baba Kasali 'the experienced bricklayer' so u can give him 20k and build a duplex...

Fund raising baba.

Fake material

Obaxxx:

Why won't buildings be collapsing any how allover the country when e be say na only half-baked engineering students our higher institutions dey pump out everyday .


Before you quote me to talk rubbish, lemme quickly inform you that I'm a civil engineer but you see me today,na bakery I for dey hustle on a daily,on a stead

Comrade. Lower ur voice

Lanrelagboi:
BUILDING COLLAPSE: SANWO-OLU LAUNCHES FITNESS CERTIFICATE TO ENFORCE STATE’S PLANNING CODES



https://oyotoday.com/building-collapse-sanwo-olu-launches-fitness-certificate-to-enforce-states-planning-codes/

How much again?

URGENT SUGGESTIONS FOR GOV SANWOOLU
1. Merge all the numerous Agencies that have to do with building Approval and planning permit etc into one SINGLE Agency.
2. Crash the time for getting Approval to 72 hours for low rise buildings and 5 days for high rise buildings from 7 storeys and above.
3. Reduce the amount for approval. Paying N1m to 5m for Approval is extremely exorbitant. The price is why so many building owners evade it. Low rise buildings shouldnt be more than N100,000 and Skyscrapers shouldnt be above N250,000. Those that develop the land and create jobs should get incentives like low Approval costs for adding value to GDP of the state.

4. The requirements for approval in Lagos state is demonically excessive! Please google "requirements for approval in Lagos state" you will be shocked. And those are not even all. There are hidden requirements.

5. Last, the Approval folks in their offices are normal Civil Servants. Most of them have no real time Hands On professional experience on the field and consultancy exposures. A young person of 30+ years old can be correcting and cancelling designs done by Professionals that have been in the field for 30 years building houses in Nigeria. I think these Government workers need exposures.
Their so called Enforcement agents are more violent than Agberos. They pack police and soldiers moving from site to site. They use the slightest excuse to put red tape on the sites so that people can pay Unsealing fees of N500k or 300k if u are lucky. If you ask them, they say "We are all on Targets". Haba! It is either Safety commission or Building control, or Physical planning, or Material Testing Agency, etc.

Wow

Sanwo-Olu is doing well (in macaroni's voice) - but If we are to take the potential for greatness and the actual currency of Lagos State (her people both indigenous and immigrant) he is wasting a whole lot of real potential by doing things piece-meal after a whole lot of complaints and tragedies have occurred.

It will come as a relief to most and many shall praise him for it but... could it not have been done years before now? I mean establishing a task force and laying down and "ENFORCING" the rules for building inspection and certification is not new and neither is it hard to do.

It is a welcomed approach but it could have been done much earlier - (work for LASG House of Assembly)

Another avenue for greedy civil servants and their agents to milk the masses.

Nice

Afriqan:


The graduates are not the problem. It's greedy home owners and property developers who try to ignore directions from registered civil engineers and architects that are behind most of the collapse.

I am sure someone like you wouldn't want to pay a structural engineer for ur home, you'd rather call Baba Kasali 'the experienced bricklayer' so u can give him 20k and build a duplex...

Great reply sir.
Some client will go as far as telling you to forget about structural drawings and just give them Architectural that their supposed builders can handle the structural works and when it fails, they begin to blame the Architect or the non existing structural Engineer

It's all about generating of revenue, rubbish.

Afriqan:


The graduates are not the problem. It's greedy home owners and property developers who try to ignore directions from registered civil engineers and architects that are behind most of the collapse.

I am sure someone like you wouldn't want to pay a structural engineer for ur home, you'd rather call Baba Kasali 'the experienced bricklayer' so u can give him 20k and build a duplex...

Did you read the part where he said he's a graduate of Civil Engineering .
He knows better than to call Baba Mukaila the experienced bricklayer. You've mentioned the real problem. Prospective home owners think they are smarter than practicing engineers. They call you up to come see them. You offer them advice with an agreement that they'll notify you when they are ready but they just get a bricklayer to do the job.
So it is what it is.

MissionaryArchi:


Great reply sir.
Some client will go as far as telling you to forget about structural drawings and just give them Architectural that their supposed builders can handle the structural works and when it fails, they begin to blame the Architect or the non existing structural Engineer

Some Architects too are greedy. One called me up when he had a challenge. I gave him an idea about a few practical engineering solutions to his challenge. Na xo baba japa o.

Another means for all these alausa workers to extort