It was gathered that one of those affected was former Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, who claimed that his house was demolished by the Lagos State government despite getting due approval from relevant authorities.

An anti-corruption group, the Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance (CACOBAG), has said that the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State government’s decision to demolish houses in the state to punisher the owners while sparing corrupt officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), is an act of injustice.

The group said this in an open letter written to Governor Sanwo-Olu, dated December 2, 2023, captioned ‘Demolition of Buildings: Punishing Building Owners and Sparing Corrupt LASBCA Officials Reflect Injustice’ and signed by its Chairman, Toyin Raheem. 

The open letter is coming amid controversies trailing the reported demolition exercise by Governor Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State government allegedly targeting markets populated by Igbos and buildings owned by Igbos in the state.

It was gathered that one of those affected was former Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, who claimed that his house was demolished by the Lagos State government despite getting due approval from relevant authorities.

In the letter, CACOBAG said that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, is unambiguous when it declares in Section 15(5) that "The state shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of office".

The letter further stated that the United Nations Convention against corruption frowns at betrayal of public trust, “To what should we ascribe mortgaging the lives of Nigerians for money?

“Besides food and water, the most important basic need of life is shelter. This makes it a welcome development that gladdens the minds of people that agencies, organisations and societies are working on the basic needs of life.

“There are Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Nigerian Institute of Building, Shelter Rights Project and others.

“It is sad and an irony that agencies of Government which people rely on are actually the ones mortgaging the lives of Nigerians due to lackadaisical attitudes and corruption.

“It is in this regard that CACOBAG has to write this open letter to the governor to prevent further collapse of buildings which in most cases sent promising Nigerians to early grave.

“CACOBAG is saddened that in respect of buildings that are being demolished in Lagos State, it is the building owners and tenants alone that  are being punished, leaving the compromised officials of LASBCA to enjoy the proceeds of their crime,” part of the letter read.

CACOBAG further stated that law and order are sacrosanct in organised societies, and that building plan approval is a prerequisite for building construction, stressing that the Urban and Regional Planning Development Law, 2010 that established LASBCA empowers its staff to monitor the environment and ensure that buildings under construction have approved building plans and do not deviate from the approved designs.

“For effective monitoring, Lagos State was divided into districts with LASBCA officials covering specific locations.

“Under this apportioned surveillance, it is virtually impossible for any building development in any part of Lagos State to escape the monitoring human radar in the LASBCA officials. That is why many buildings are marked in red X.

“Whenever contraventions are discovered in a building construction, a stop work order is applied. This is legally binding. Disobedience could lead to sealing of such a building site. The LASBCA enforcement team ensures no construction work proceeds. Recalcitrant building owners or developers could even be arrested.

“With this system in place, one wonders how buildings without approval would have been successfully developed beyond foundation or, at most, lintel level where the fence would no longer be able to hide construction activities.

“Rampant collapse of buildings under construction in Lagos State is a clear indictment of LASBCA officials.

“It is an open secret that LASBCA officials collect bribes to look the other way when building regulations are being violated. This criminal attitude of LASBCA officials encouraged and emboldened developers on infringement. Experiences of many developers are the undisputable testimony in this regard.

“A LASBCA official, a registered builder named Wale Smith, was alleged to have collected N500,000 from a developer. As a monitoring officer on Lagos Island, he connived with the developer that demolished a 190 year-old national monument, Ilojo bar (Olaiya House) at Tinubu Square, Lagos Island on Sunday, September 11, 2016.

“In fact, Civil Society Groups have been compiling atrocities committed by LASBCA officials.

“The most annoying development is the recent elevation of some corrupt LASBCA officials to the Executive Council of the Nigerian Institute of Building in Lagos State.

“Leading the team of the LASBCA officials in the seizure of the NIOB decision-making body in Lagos State is Thomas Adeyemi Adeoye, who was the LASBCA official that was expelled by Governor Ambode over his compromise that resulted in the collapse of Lekki Gardens building under construction, causing the death of many people.

“Though you might not be aware of this, this element was reinstated during your administration through a court settlement that should be challenged.

“How would the public rely or put their trust in such an organisation that ought to have declared such person a _persona non grata_ in and around the organisation's offices?

“Sadly, that organisation, NIOB known for its vehement campaign against building collapse has now been put in comatose.”

According to the group, it is erroneous for the Lagos State government to have allowed officials on the monitoring juicy work to stay too long on the job, stressing that regular and sudden change of such officials should strategically destabilise their connivance with developers.

CACOBAG questioned why the LASBCA officials that committed offences are usually redeployed to the state's Ministry of Works and Infrastructure or Ministry of Housing.

“Such important ministries should not be turned into garbage by corrupt LASBCA officials. Obviously, these ministries have become infested.

“The danger of forgiving or overlooking offenders is that they become emboldened to commit greater havoc. Civil servants, who have been exposed for long to free money, deep corruption become incorrigible. Leopard does not change its spots.

“If monitoring officers of LASBCA had lived up to expectations, these huge losses being inflicted on building owners and developers through demolition would have been nipped in the bud.

“Sir, do not treat LASBCA staff as sacred cows. Pampering them for long has been counterproductive. Your first tenure, 2019 to 2023 recorded the highest number of building collapses in the history of Lagos State.

“The greedy LASBCA officials sabotaged your tenure through compromise. Having been beneficiaries in the claimed illegal buildings that are being demolished in Lagos State, the double agent LASBCA officials must not go scot-free.

“However, hardworking and sincere LASBCA officials, once identified, should be preserved and retained in the agency. Those are the agents of positive growth.

“His Excellency, our dear Governor, Kindly let equal justice prevail.”