The General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Gbolahan Oki, has banned people, particularly labourers, from sleeping at construction sites in the state.
The ban follows the collapse of a two-story building that claimed the lives of five construction workers at Arowojobe Estate, in the Maryland area of Lagos State.
Oki issued the directive in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs Unit, Olaoye Olusegun.
The statement read in part, “Henceforth, nobody should be found sleeping in any building under construction after the close of work, especially at night. LASBCA officials will be inspecting construction sites across the state, especially at night, to ensure that nobody is sleeping inside any building under construction.
“Construction period in the state remains from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays. Henceforth, any property developer or owner who engages workers to carry out construction work on Sundays and beyond 7 p.m. on Monday to Saturday will have his or her property sealed indefinitely.”
Oki also urged property owners and developers to hire only competent structural, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers and architects for any building projects in the state, warning that project sites that did not hire professionals would be sealed and possibly removed.
“This directive becomes necessary to safeguard the building construction industry and ensure that buildings in the state are safe, secure, and fit for rehabilitation,” the statement added.
On Thursday, numerous inhabitants of Arowojobe Estate in Maryland were startled awake by the unexpected collapse of a structure under construction in the region.
The two-story building on Wilson Mba Street in the estate reportedly collapsed about 3:49 a.m., trapping several construction workers who were sleeping inside.
According to reports, the property was owned by an unidentified woman, and the construction workers on site were from Ibadan, Oyo State.
Construction work on the property was alleged to have begun earlier this year, and residents claimed that the workers had been working day and night when the building caved in, trapping them beneath the rubble.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
