…As governor acknowledges avoidable mistakes
As a fallout of the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi, the Lagos State government has requested for the list of all buildings above five floors under construction in the metropolis.
The governor made this demand during his visit to the scene of the collapsed structure at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi on Wednesday, saying there would be a comprehensive review of all the buildings above five floors under construction in order to sanitise the built environment in the State.
He said: “There will be a comprehensive review. I have asked the Ministry of Physical Planning to give me a detailed list of all buildings that are five floors and above that are under construction in Lagos. I asked for that list last night (Tuesday) and I hope they will give it to me later today (Wednesday).
“This is going to be due diligence that we are going to conduct with the private sector. We are probably going to work with a lot of professional institutes so that we can quickly go round and see if we can do integrity tests and non-destructive tests on the buildings.”
Sanwo-Olu also hinted that he had set up a high-powered Commission of Enquiry, composed of members from outside of government to investigate the cause of the collapsed building and submit the report in 30 days.
The governor named the current President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, once the Commissioner for Physical Planning in the State, as chairman of the panel.
Other members of the panel, the governor said, include Dr Akintile Idris Adeleke, foremost structural engineer; Yinka Ogundairo, an astute architect; Geofrey O. Geofrey, a chartered builder; Mrs. Bunmi Ibrahim, a lawyer and property player and Ekundayo Onajobi, a lawyer, as secretary of the panel. The governor also listed the names of survivors who have been rescued so far from the rubble. The names are Oduntan Timilehin (26), Ahmed Kenleku (19), Sunday Monday (21), Adeniran Mayowa (37), Solagbade Nuruden (33) and Waliu Lateef (22). He stated that three others survivors have been discharged, adding that the six persons named were still under care at the General Hospital, Lagos.
“Three others have been discharged from the hospital. So, we have all their names, their telephone numbers, their pictures, and everything.
“Unfortunately, we have 21 confirmed mortality – meaning people who have been taken out from this site and taken to the morgue,” Sanwo-Olu added.
Sanwo-Olu described the incident as “a clear national disaster,” adding that “it is an event that one can say that, indeed, mistakes were made from all angles, and this is an event that should not be happening in a modern day city like Lagos.”
He thanked the first responders and gallant men who have been engaged in the rescue operation in the last two day, promising members of the public that everything would be done to get to the root cause of the collapse.
“I actually travelled out of Nigeria early in the morning on Sunday. I travelled to Rome to attend the G20 Summit. There is a side conference by European formations for Africa and I was invited to speak on engagements throughout Sunday night.
“I was on the rostrum speaking on Monday when I got a call of what had happened in Lagos; I was to travel to COP 26 but I had to return,” he explained.
He said he had ordered the indefinite suspension of the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki, with immediate effect, while indicating that others officials involved would be fish out during the course of further investigation.
He explained to families of victims that rescue operations were not stopped as rumoured, but that the entire machine was stopped at a time to sound-check if there was any noise or voice in the rubble for quick intervention.