- Ogun State government begins demolition of 5-story DATKEM Plaza, citing it as an illegal structure without an approved plan
- The developer disputes claims, citing government approvals, while the state government insists on multiple violations of physical planning laws
Mrs. Olufunke Daniel’s DATKEM Plaza in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State Government said on Sunday, “is an illegal structure without an approved plan.”
The state government has begun demolition of a 5-story DATKEM plaza in Ijebu-Ode owned by Mrs. Daniel, wife of former Governor Gbenga Daniel.
Clips and images of the structure’s destruction were widely circulated on social media platforms in the state, causing outrage and concern among residents and the political class.
However, a source described the incident as vandalism committed by some political thugs.
“This is more of a case of vandalism by thugs under the guise of police,” the source said.
It was discovered that those responsible for the act used ‘hand machines’ to carry out the destruction, as opposed to an excavator, which is typically used in a demolition task.
However, the Project Manager and developer, Engr Olusegun Lawal, described it as a demolition in a statement.
He also confirmed that the government had issued a three-day demolition notice.
The government cited “inadequate parking space, inadequate muster point, and inadequate airspace,” according to Lawal.
However, the Developer insisted, “There are no single structural defects on the building, and all relevant and necessary government approvals have been obtained.”
Daniel, who represents Ogun East in the Senate, had personally visited the scene to assess the building’s damage.
In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Olayiwola Abiodun, the government appeared to confirm the demolition, saying the structure “is illegal as it violated the state’s physical planning laws.”
According to Abiodun, the structure violated state building codes with numerous flaws.
Several efforts by the state government to halt further development on the site, he said, were ignored by the developers.
He stated that government officials requested the structural engineer in charge of the building to provide the state of the building’s structural equilibrium, which was ignored.
The statement recalled various incidents of building disasters across the country, adding that the Ogun State Government will not stand by and allow such an occurrence to occur.
It was noted that many of these disasters, such as fires at Ikorodu, resulted in the loss of precious lives.
According to the permanent secretary, the government was proactive in partially demolishing the defective building.
Abiodun challenged the structure’s owners to produce proof of government approval in their possession.
He stated that for a commercial building of that calibre, there must be parking for workers and visitors both inside and outside the facility. The law provides for 45 to 50% of available land for construction as a buildable area.
The building also lacked stage certification, typically issued at each stage of construction, according to the permanent secretary.
He claimed that between May and October 2022, owners were served with the necessary notices, including abatement, contravention, stop work, and demolition, which were ignored.
According to the statement, DATKEM Enterprises Limited filed a registration application for an office building on Ibadan Road in Ijebu Ode in 2009 under the registration number CB/05/299/2009.
The proposal was for five (5) floors with airspace of 3 metres at the right, 5m at the left, 5metres at the rear and a setback of 32.5516 metres to the middle of Ijebu Ode/Ibadan road, Ijebu-Ode.
The Zonal Town Planning Office observed during routine monitoring that the construction on site did not conform with the plan granted as there was a deviation from the airspaces and setback.
In addition, the building had been modified and enlarged with an additional storey building at the back thereby becoming over density.
In view of the above, the following actions were taken: Contravention Notice with Serial No. 0106983 was served on 24th May 2022. Stop Work Order with Serial No. 000623 was served on 24th May 2022.
Another Stop Work Order with Serial No. 001065 was served on 22nd July 2022 when the first notice was ignored.
Demolition Notice with Serial No. 0007549 was served on 11th October 2022. Notice to seal with Serial No. 000815 was served on 4th October 2022.
The statement noted further that despite all these notices, the developer was recalcitrant and continued the construction work.