The Lagos State government has approved the reopening of buildings belonging to Lekki Worldwide Estates Limited, owners of Lekki Gardens, which were recently sealed after an uncompleted building collapsed at one of the construction sites belonging to the company. Subsequently, the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory was mandated to carry out integrity tests on all the houses built by the real estate giant to ascertain their structural stability. Reports indicate that the buildings passed the integrity tests and have now been reopened to the occupants.
According to a statement credited to Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Wasiu Anifowoshe, the buildings were unsealed and the tenants granted permission to return to their houses after results from the tests carried out were examined by a team of construction experts. According to him, the integrity test carried out on the Lekki Gardens buildings was conducted by the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory and the results have been forwarded to the Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who reserves the right to announce the results. He also revealed that investigations are still on to ascertain the exact cause of the March 8 building collapse.
It would be recalled that on Tuesday March 8th an uncompleted building collapsed at one of the construction sites belonging to Lekki Gardens and in the aftermath occupiers of all buildings erected by the company in Lagos State were evicted from their houses to allow the government ascertain their structural stability. This move affected thousands of families who currently occupy the housing units in the over 30 estates managed by Lekki Gardens in Lagos.
The families who have had to endure several weeks of hardship brought about by the eviction can now look forward to reoccupying their houses with renewed assurance that their properties are in good shape. The results of the integrity test will also go a long way to bolster the reputation built over the years by Lekki Gardens as a company committed to upholding standards in all facets of its operations.
Lekki Gardens prides itself as a disruptive force in Nigeria’s real estate sector through the provision of affordable housing for clients in choice locations with a flexible payment structure at major cities in Nigeria. The company which began operations in 2011 has delivered about 6,000 home units to clients in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.