TheCable

The Lagos state government (LASG) has demolished about 13 buildings at I.K. Peter street, Ajao estate, said to be too close to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA).

Gbolahan Oki, the general manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), said the buildings lacked required approvals and were sited around airport-restricted areas while some were sitting on aviation fuel pipelines.

He said the buildings were illegally constructed out of clear disregard for the requirements of extant laws.

Oki said the nature of the buildings may cause fire outbreaks due to the surrounding pipelines, noting that “nobody in his right thinking mind will go and buy a plot on a pipeline and build on the pipeline”.

The LASBCA boss said that due consultations were made and occupants of the affected buildings had had two years to evacuate the buildings.

Speaking also, Ngwu Hycienth, general manager of business development at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said the agency was happy that the state government has taken the steps after several warnings to stop the construction of buildings in the area.

He said that the authorities of the airport had begun to notice encroachment on its land in 2015, defying the standard rule that no building must be cited close to the perimeter fence.

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