Lagos State will demolish buildings that fail integrity test, Gov. Sanwo-Olu reassures

The Lagos State Government reiterated its resolve to demolish buildings that fail its integrity test on Thursday.

Gov. Babjide Sanwo-Olu reassured of the step as 14 buildings in close proximity to the two that went up in flames at Dosunmu Market on Lagos Island on Tuesday caved in to the fire.

“A lot of residential apartments have been turned into warehouses. I am saying without any iota of doubt that more buildings will go down.

“I just finished the assessment of a very unfortunate but preventable disaster.

“Access was denied to the first responder to the fire for a couple of hours. This fire started more than 48 hours ago and is still alive.

“At the last count, we have about 14 houses that have been affected, and more may go down after the extensive test.

“What I have seen here is what could have been prevented; we do not have a full report yet, so I do not want it to speculate.

“From the initial report, it was gross carelessness,’’ he said at the site of the fire.

Sanwo-Olu added that the Dosunmu Market would be closed indefinitely, but that the government would assist those affected.

“We will bring down any property that does not conform to our rules and regulations of construction.

“We cannot allow anyone to put the lives and property of others and the environment at risk.

“We will support those affected by the fire so they can get back on their feet, however.

“There are more progressive things we ought to be doing than spending scarce resources on avoidable accidents,’’ the governor lamented.