The Lagos State Government has issued a final 30-day notice to individuals who have converted buildings without approval into Churches, Mosques, clubhouses, lounges, and bars in residential areas.
The notice comes as part of the government’s zero-tolerance initiative. The General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Arc. Gbolahan Oki, made this announcement from his office.
The notice applies to all buildings that are being used as bars, clubhouses, or religious centers in residential areas without the proper permits from the relevant authorities.
The reason for this removal notice is due to concerns about security and numerous complaints about club owners disregarding safety guidelines.
Oki stressed that owners of buildings in residential areas that have been converted into churches, mosques, clubs, bars, or lounges without the necessary approvals must evacuate the occupants within a 30-day notice period.
If the buildings remain non-compliant, the state will take action to remove them completely, and the owners will be responsible for covering the costs without any additional warnings.
“Lagos State Government has given 30-day final notice to owners/occupiers of residential buildings illegally converted to churches, mosques, clubhouses, lounges, and bars across the state without approval for change of use, to revert to the original use of the structure.
“The removal notice became imperative following security concerns of citizens and repeated complaints of non-adherence to safety and security guidelines issued to the club owners.
“Any owner of buildings in residential areas that have been converted to churches, mosques, clubs, bars or lounges without the requisite approvals should evict such occupants before the expiration of the 30 days’ final notice as the state will not give further notice of sealing but outright removal of such non-conforming buildings at the cost of the owners,” the statement reads in part.
Oki confirmed that LASBCA has already identified illegal and non-conforming structures and has issued enforcement notices. However, those affected have not responded, so a final notice has been issued.
He mentioned that residents in residential areas, especially the elderly in the Lekki area and its surroundings, have repeatedly asked the government to address the negative effects of converting properties into churches, mosques, bars, clubs, and lounges. These conversions are impacting their health and the security of the area.
Therefore, Oki urged property owners to take the notice seriously, as everyone will be held accountable in the effort to clean up the state and align with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision of making it a model mega city in Africa.
