By Ono Yima
Today, September 27, Lagos State officials came to demolish a two-story building on Monsuru Street, Ijegun, Ikotun. This, according to residents, followed a failed integrity test, which the government said they conducted on the building. Consequently, they marked the building as distressed. The marking, as could be seen from a part of the fence, still standing, was done on September 21, 2023. In other words the demolition is being carried out barely a week after the integrity test and the marking.
Was the result that critical to warrant this exceptional efficiency on the part of the government agency, or Is there more to it?
According to some residents of the area, their action may have been prompted by another two storey building that had collapsed on the same streets last week. That, in the first place, is what had brought them to the street, they said.
The aftermath of that building collapse is a gale of “Distress” and “sealed” markings on buildings, which our reporter saw on the street and the adjoining one.
An engineer who lives in the same area but preferred to be anonymous said he didn’t see any sign of distress on the building except that it has not been taken care of for a long time. “Look at that blocks”, he told us, pointing at the debris, “I am sure that this building is more solid than even some of these new ones” he said, wondering, “Do they even have the right equipment to conduct the test? Then he related an experience of similar case at Shomolu, involving the company he worked with. They had conducted a test on a building and found it to be distressed. However, when our company did an independent integrity check it was found the building can still last for another 50 years.
And that begs for another question, Should such critical test with high risk to life, both in terms of safety of life on one hand, and on the other hand, threatening the livelihood, investments and wellbeing of the property owner and his family, be left entirely at the whims of government official given our general questionable and lackadaisical attitude to things?
Take for instance, our reporter told us that the owner of the property being demolished is late and no one could tell the person in charge of the building. The last occupant, a school, packed out some years ago. Since then, the building has been occupied by equally and really “distressed” non-paying tenants. As expected, moulds would form on the building due to exposure to rain, year in, year out. Is that enough reason to conclude that the building is distressed? Could abandonment of a building be a sign of distress?
The 32-Floors NET, now NECOM, house in Lagos Island suffered the same fate (abandonment) after a section of it was gutted by fire. Later when the government was ready to renovate it, an integrity test was done on it. After that, remedial work was applied to the areas with defects. NET or NECOM building is still standing today, one pf the icons towering over Lagos Island.
There is also the Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi, Lagos; which is even in a worse state than NECOM building or the one being demolished at Ijegun. It has derelict, having been abandoned for so many years, after Abuja took over as the capital of Nigeria, that only the frame of the buildings in the secretariat remains. Would it not amount to criminality for anyone to demolish those buildins without a proper integrity check? But even having said that, it wouldn’t surprise anyone who has been in Nigeria for any length of time if those buildings at the secretariat are brought down under the pretence that it failed integrity check, just to pave way for a new contract to be awarded. Nothing is impossible; everything is expected, in Nigeria. But any sane mind would recognize that such act amounts to wanton destruction of public property and economic sabotage.
Another question that was being asked as the demolition was going on is, “Will the government leave the land for the owner after demolition or will they seize it? Some people think that the government would take over the land only if the building had collapsed on its own. We do not know the proper position yet but we would seek out official clarification and bring it in our subsequent publication.
When our reporter visited the site, a portion of the building was still untouched, standing, but when he wanted to take photograph, he was prevented, “no camera please”, one of the officials told him. That seemed awkward; and he wanted an explanation. “I don’t have any explanation but no camera” the official said. Our man wasn’t going to give up or intimidated easily, so he then tried to give them reasons why they should oblige him. He told them that it’s even for their own and the agency’s interest. But the man insisted, saying that the time one can take picture is in the case of collapsed building, not demolition. “What is the difference? Our reporter questioned. “I don’t know oga, but you can’t take picture” the official re-emphasized. When the reporter disclosed them that he is a journalist, they requested for his ID card. Unfortunately he didn’t have it with him.
While they were arguing back and forth our reporters I caught someone who was beckoning to him to leave them. “Don’t bother, I have taken the picture and would give it to you” the man told our reporter when he went to meet with him. Problem solved.
The question now is why should Lagos State officials bar a journalist, or even the general public from taking photograph of a building they are demolishing; but can allow that in the case of collapsed building? Wouldn’t that raise suspicion of an unholy act. Was the building truly distressed? Were they acting in good faith?
Again we would do our investigation and bring the report to you in subsequent publications. But for now, feed your imagination.