They said the building erected beside 24,
Saliu Obodo Avenue, Oke Ira Nla, Ajah, had become rickety and is on the
verge of collapse.
Our correspondent, who visited the area,
noticed many cracks on the walls of the building. It was also noticed
that officials of Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area had marked
the building for demolition on January 8, 2010.
A resident, Wole Oshunloye, said the
state of the building over the years had turned it into a death trap,
adding that the building might cave in “anytime from now.”
Oshunloye said though he had at several
occasions called the attention of the owner of the building, Mr. Wale
Ajose, to the development, he had done little to find a solution to the
problem.
He said, “My house is besides this
building and I have little children who play around on my compound. The
building poses serious danger not only to my property but to the lives
of my family members as it may crumble anytime.
“We have held meetings with the owner of
the structure and even spoken to him on the telephone about the building
but he keeps dilly-dallying and that is why we are calling for a prompt
action from the state government to prevent avoidable deaths.
“We have also reached out to various
agencies of government in the state to look into this issue but they
only came around and declared the building unsafe and issued notices
without enforcing them.”
Chairman, Oke Ira Nla Community
Development Association, Najeem Yinusa, said the location of the
dilapidating structure in between residential houses made it highly
dangerous for residents.
He added that the CDA had on several
occasions took it upon itself to evict the destitute who had turned the
building into their home.
He said, “The casualty figure from a
dilapidating two-storey building built in-between residential houses
like this could be very high and that is why we can’t keep mum and turn a
blind eye to this situation.
“Apart from the residential houses that
it could collapse on, the destitute have turned the house into a place
of abode and our fear is that they may be trapped or crushed to death if
the building suddenly collapses.”
When contacted, Ajose said he was aware
of the precarious state of the building, adding that steps were already
being taken to demolish it.
He said, “I am not ignoring the
complaints of residents of the area because I know the dangers
associated with a dilapidating building.
“The government authorities have already
told me to demolish the building myself and do all other necessary
things. By next week Monday that process will begin in earnest.”
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