By EMEKA AGINAM

Following the order given by the Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU) of the Lagos State government to evacuate hollow pipe masts from the face  of Lagos in order to save lives and property, the Lagos State government has complied with the new mast standards that were put in place by the regulatory authority.

Before now, Nigerians have witnessed cases of collapsed communications masts, leading to untimely death of people, and loss of property worth billions of naira.

This is even as the statistics have also revealed that most of the collapsed masts were the hollow pipe masts, belonging to banks that use them to communicate their various branches.

The state government has embarked on the evacuation of its hollow pipe masts around government house.

Worried by the by the ugly trend,  the Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU), an arm of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development responsible for the regulation of masts installed in Lagos State has gone tough on non compliance.

The new rule

Following incessant collapse of communications masts in the country, Lagos in particular, UFRU came up with a new set of standards for the installation of communications masts in Lagos State, and has commenced enforcement.

The galvanized steel material replaces the hollow pipes that was hitherto used by banks and SMEs in installing masts in the state.

Speaking on the compliance, the  Governor Fashola of Lagos State said that , “We have commenced evacuation of hollow pipe type of masts from the government house in Alausa in Ikeja and we have replaced them with galvanized  steel masts in order to save lives and property and same must be done by masts operators in Lagos.”

Evacuate  hollow-pipe masts

He  called on all mast users in the state to evacuate all hollow pipe type of masts in the state and replace them with galvanized steel masts.

According to him, the order became a warning to all masts users in the state, since the state government has complied and has commenced evacuation of all its communications masts that were hitherto made of hollow pipes.

The Governor who spoke through Igbokwe, said the order became necessary, to avert further loss of lives and destruction of property to collapsed masts in the state.lation in the state, came up with a new set of standards for the installation of communications masts in the state, recommending galvanized steel.

Igbokwe said the new standards became imperative, owing to the coastal nature of Lagos, coupled with the global climate change.

“All hollow  pipe type of masts must be removed and replaced with galvanized steel that has the shape of a pyramid, before the end of December this year,” Igbokwe said.

Death tolls,property loss

Statistics from UFRU show that collapsed masts in the country have killed several people and damaged property worth billions of naira, while most people narrowly escaped death from collapsed masts.

In 2010, a school teacher in Nassarawa State was knocked dead when a communications masts collapsed.

It would be recalled that in  2011, two persons sustained severe injuries in Idumagbo  area of Lagos State, when a communications mast belonging to a bank in the area collapsed.

In 2012, a heavy windstorm collapsed several communications masts in the country, destroying buildings, vehicles, billboards and personal belongings worth billions of naira.

In Lagos alone, building roofs, car parks and cars were destroyed by collapsed masts as a result of the windstorm, but there was no loss of lives.

In May, 2013, a communications masts belonging to Jubilee Savings & Loans Limited, collapsed and killed a 52 year old man in his residence in Marina, Lagos.