By Evelyn Unuigbe
Edo residents have been called upon to always seek professional advice before embarking on building projects to avoid environmental hazards.
Managing Director, Edo State Development and Building Control Agency, Hon. Igabali Imoisili Darlington made this call while reacting to the sealing of two buildings situated at Boundary Road and Uwa Street in Benin City over the building of structures without obtaining necessary permits and approvals from the Agency.
Hon. Igabali explained that construction and renovation of buildings require prior approvals from the Agency, while advising all prospective developers to follow due procedures in order to avoid defaulting.
He further stated that, in order to get a building permit, a developer has to submit a building plan for approval, followed by embarking on an integrity test for existing structures before a remodeling that involves additional buildings can be done.
Reacting to the distressed building, he opined that it is very dangerous to try renovate or extend an already distressed house without due process.
“the building is an old one and now you are building something on top again, first of all, you would have done an integrity test to find out the condition of the building, to ascertain if the foundation can accommodate an additional floor because you don’t know if the foundation was formally for a bungalow and now you are building on top. it’s already hazardous for the people living there”. He said.
The Managing Director urged residents to desist from patronizing quacks, adding that anyone developing without Government permits will be prosecuted in line with the laws of the Agency.
