Gov Adeleke threatens to demolish unapproved building construction

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has threatened to demolish unapproved building constructions posing threats to human safety, warning developers and residents against constructing houses without approved building plans.

The Governor, reacting to the recent building collapse in Osogbo, emphasized the crucial need for obtaining necessary approvals for building plans to guarantee quality construction standards and prevent needless deaths and injuries. This statement was made by his spokesperson, Rasheed Olawale.

According to the Governor, building plans are not optional in construction, as they prevent substandard houses that frequently collapse and pose safety risks to occupants and the environment.

He said, “I am using this medium to direct the Ministry of Lands to step up enforcement of approved building plans by developers and residents. Our officials must go to the estates and development areas to ensure houses are constructed according to approved plans.

“We need to save lives by ensuring that houses are built according to standard. We must also be proactive by testing the health of houses before human tragedy occurs. Substandard houses, once identified, should be pulled down before a fatal collapse.

“We will sanction those who refuse to comply with the conditions of approved building plans. I further direct relevant agencies to pull down substandard houses before they wreak havoc. We must not wait for lives to be lost before we act,” Governor Adeleke affirmed.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the government, led by the Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Mayowa Adejorin, visited the scene of the building collapse to assess the damage and launch a government response.

Accompanied by Hon. Emiola Fakeye, the Governor’s Special Adviser on OSEMA, the team inspected the area and discovered another building in a bad state.

The team is working with other relevant ministries to prevent similar occurrences.

“We inspected the collapsed building and discovered it had no building plans. We are reaching out to other related MDAs to give effect to the Governor’s directive.”