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.
