FASHOLA ORDERS DEMOLITION OF POLICE STATION
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday, ordered the immediate demolition of a police station built on drainage channel to address the twin problems of flooding and distortion of its environment.
The governor who gave the order while on inspection tour of Mushin area of the state said the order became imperative to ensure that the 16 roads awarded for construction in the area were delivered on time.
Fashola who personally came to Badejo Kalesanwo Street for inspection because he discovered that construction work had been slowed down by the present location of the Ladipo Mushin Police Station, which is sitting on the drainage.
He also inspected the station and the nearby Oduduwa Primary School, Mushin, along with some members of the State Executive Council like the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, pointing out that the police station was sitting on a drainage line in the area.
Fashola told the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the station, Mr. Obinna Ikegwuonu that the state would relocate the station to a more befitting location, which would also be within the neighbourhood.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat who received and briefed the governor on arrival said Badejo Kalesanwo Street was one of the 16 roads in Mushin which had been awarded to CGGC Nigeria Limited.
Hamzat explained that the design of the road was 19 metres wide, noting that by the time it would get to the location of the police station, it would have been constricted to seven metres, thus necessitating the relocation of the station.
The demolition order was part of the ongoing demolition of property in the state done by the government to address its environmental problems.
The Lagos state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, told Daily Sun that the state government had commenced the demolition of two buildings on Lagos Island and another in Ebute-Meta on Friday.
He said the state government would not spear any of the marked buildings no matter the owner, hinting that 34 structurally weak buildings had been identified in the two areas.
Ayinde explained that they would first be subjected to rigorous tests to determine the extent of their weakness, saying those that fail the tests will be demolished in a controlled environment in order to safeguard the lives of the residents and those living in adjourning buildings.