Ibrahim Quadri
Lagos State government on Monday expressed concern over the attitude of many property owners in the state showing disregard in applying for Certificates of Occupancy, noting obtaining CofO is a good way to secure property.
Special Adviser to the state governor on Enterprise Geographic Information System e-GIS and regional planning, Olajide Babatunde gave the remark during a press briefing at Alausa, Ikeja to mark the second year of the second term of governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Babatunde explained that in the last six years only 246 C of Os have been applied for, while there were 649 applications for regularization.
He maintained that in the last six years 4,690 surveys were applied for, stressing that if people knew the importance of getting C of O, they would show more interest in getting it.
Speaking on the activities of an agency under his ministry, Lagos State Building Control Agency LASBCA he noted that 8,663 building owners/ developers were detected of infractions in their property in the last one year.
He added that 2,232 stage inspection was carried out by the agency on buildings under construction for compliance and conformity checks by the Inspectorate and quality control department of the agency, while 215 certificates of completion and fitness for habitation were issued to building owners/developers after stage by stage inspections, processed by LASBCA through its Building Certification Department (BCD).
Babatunde also added that 159 buildings were identified with verified building insurance policy by the agency insurance department.
He added that, in the last one year 3,610 enforcement activities were carried out by the enforcement unit of LASBCA.
The Special Adviser added that, the state government would soon go on enforcement move to ensure houses without certificate of completion, fitness and habitation in the state are sealed up.
He explained that 349 distress properties were brought down in the year 2023, while the state government took over 39 properties that collapsed from 2023 till date.
Babatunde said the taking over of such properties is for a while just to serve as punishment to defaulting owners.
He added that the owners of such properties have appealed to the state government for their release through the state government appeal agency, adding that for the government to release such properties it would value them and the owner are expected to pay 60 percent of the cost of the properties.
