By OLASUNKANMI AKONI

Almost all the houses at the Adeniji Adele Housing Estate, Lagos Island, have been rendered defective by swampy terrain.

Many houses in the estate, built on a reclaimed land more than two decades ago, are noticeably in very bad conditions with many of the ground floors already submerged while the walls of most of the buildings have cracked and showing signs of serious structural defect.

Many houses in the estate, particularly phases 1 to 4, fall into the distressed category of buildings.

Recurring incidence of collapsed buildings on Lagos Island have been attributed to the fact that most of the houses were built 30 to 40 years ago on swamps, white sand or lands reclaimed from the sea without proper foundation to achieve structural stability, as evidenced from houses which collapsed in recent times.

Compensation move

The Lagos State Government, through the State’s Urban Renewal Authority, LASURA, at the weekend handed out allocation letters and relocation allowances to residents of Phase I Extension of Dolphin Estate, Adeniji Adele redevelopment project consisting of the estate’s Phases I-IV.

The presentation took place at Phase IV Town Hall, Adeniji Adele, Lagos. It must be stated that Phase I Extension became unhabitable and an eye sore to the allottees and the general public. “It has also become a death trap because buildings are sinking and tilted,” according to TpI. B. Kehinde the General Manager, LASURA.

He said that the Phase I Extension is the pilot scheme of the total redevelopment of the entire estate, which is to be rebuilt in phases. Each of the 5 blocks contains 6’flats totalling 30 households to be affected in the pilot scheme. According to a source, an estimated N17.5 million was expended.

A total number of 30 flat owners received relocation allowances, allocation letters and keys to occupy LASURA’s Transit Camp (block of flats) at Amuwo- Odofin and Iba Housing estates in Lagos while some flat owners accepted relocation allowance and three years’ rent.

He stated further that a study was conducted by LASURA to revalidate the earlier data collected in 2009, the study revealed that the Phase I Extension consisting five blocks had the highest degree of vulnerability, hence the cellular regeneration method.

A breakdown of the resettlement indicates that 18 flat owners opted for accommodation at LASURA Transit Camp (block of flats) while the remaining 12 requested for private accommodation of their choice at prevailing rent rate.

One of the beneficiaries, Chief Florentino Sanya, Chairman Dolphin Estate Housing Association, Phase I- IV, said the gesture would go a long way in assuaging possible discomfort of relocating to another area, saying,“it is a right decision.”

He however, urged government to live up to their promise of giving them back their allocation after redevelopment of the estate.

“We will really appreciate it if government fulfills its promise of giving us back our allocation upon completion of the redevelopment project.”