Lagos Government shutdown Zenith Bank, Others over Alleged Illegal Property Conversion

I 
Five financial institutions in Nigeria, alongside over 80 buildings at Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, were Tuesday shutdown over allegation of illegal conversion of properties.
The action was executed by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, on Tuesday.
The banks hit by the shutdown includes Zenith, Access, Sterling, Unity and another commercial bank at Allen Avenue.
Equally affected are Tantalizers, Adebowale Electronics, Panasonic and several other buildings used for commercial purposes.
In explaining the reason for the shutdown, the Lagos State government argued that the affected buildings were initially given approval for residential, only to be thereafter converted to commercial use, for which no approval was granted.
The officials of LABSCA who were under heavy security cover, commenced the sealing exercise from Allen Roundabout all through to the end of Allen on both sides of the dual carriageway around 7:45am, beginning with Tantalizers, under the leadership of Tayo Fakolujo, LASBCA Secretary and Kayode Daramola, a Director in the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, (LASPPPA).
Specifically at Zenith Bank, customers and bank officials were sent away before the premises went under seal.
At Unity Bank, the premises was sealed before it opened for business.
In his explanation, LASBCA General Manager, Engr. Lekan Shodeinde, maintained that the affected buildings had been issued notices over a month ago to come forward to regularise their documents and get commercial approval, but that only few property owners whose buildings had been converted to commercial purposes, showed up.
Shodeinde further maintained that, “Under the Physical Planning Law, a residential property must obtain due permit before it could be converted to commercial use.
“It is inappropriate to convert a residential property to a commercial one.
“LASBCA has been given the mandate to carry out audit on buildings in Lagos state, for safety purposes and ensure that people did not take laws into their hands.”
Shodeinde also noted that, “The government has also given a six-month grace period to people who did not have permit before erecting their structures, to regularise them without paying the penalties for such violations.
“Owners of properties served notices on Allen Avenue did not come forward to regularise their papers, hence the need to enforce the law, for compliance purpose.

“Government would no longer tolerate illegal conversion of residential properties to commercial ones without permit, as the law would descend heavily on those who run foul of the law.

---

---