Kaduna govt insists on building plan for public safety

The Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Authority (KASUPDA) has said its insistence on adherence to standard building codes by developers and property owners is for public safety and the protection of lives and property.

KASUPDA said the measures taken and directives it issued were not meant to punish developers, but to help everyone in society by making every building safe, thereby benefitting owners and users.

The Director-General of KASUPDA, Malam Isma’il Dikko, made this known via a statement issued on Monday.

Dikko, while reacting to the collapse of a building in Zaria last week, said the authority had earlier marked the structure as unsafe.

He recalled that when KASUPDA first issued an abatement notice and subsequently issued a quit notice on the house located at Nagoyi area in Zaria, some people hurled insults on the authority’s officials.

He noted that KASUPDA issued the abatement notice after its Department of Monitoring Compliance (DMC) had noticed some structural defects on the building, adding that following the refusal of the owners to comply, the authority had to issue quit notice.

The DG stated that the collapse of the building has led people around the neighbourhood “who had earlier insulted our staff to now turn around to praise KASUPDA for issuing the quit notice order.”

Dikko added: “While we commiserate with the victims, KASUPDA is once again appealing to property owners to ensure they get a building plan and all necessary documents before commencing any project.

“When KASUPDA issues an Abatement Notice or Quit Notice, it is because it has observed some defects on the building which it wants the owner, contractor or project manager to rectify, so as to avert building collapse or any mishap in the future.”

He, however, noted that KASUPDA officials are always ready to assist developers, contractors, and prospective house-owners with technical advice, adding: “We are here to serve the good people of Kaduna State, in line with His Excellency, Governor Nasir El Rufai’s vision of Making Kaduna State Great Again.”

The Star

Segun Ojo