•Sanwo-Olu orders LASBCA GM’s suspension
The Lagos State Government is setting up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.
This was disclosed by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.
According to the Commissioner, members of the panel would be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and other professional bodies.
The panel would be expected to independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence.
Omotoso noted that the investigation would not be part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the government will surely find out what went wrong and punish those indicted.
“The governor, as a first step, has directed that the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki, an architect, be suspended from work immediately. The suspension is indefinite.
“More equipment and personnel have been deployed in the site to save more lives,” he stated.
In an update on the situation at the site of the collapse, the Commissioner for Information said that a total of nine persons, all males, had been pulled out of the rubble alive and taken to the hospital.
He expressed sadness that a total of 14 others had been brought out dead as at 2pm.
Omotoso said that the state governor thanked all first responders and those who joined the rescue efforts, including construction giants such as Julius Berger, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
He made it known that a help desk would be set up at the site for people seeking information about their relations who might have been involved in the incident.
He also notified the media that the government would be releasing information whenever the need would arise, to avoid any sensational reporting of the incident.
Meanwhile, the state deputy governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, was at the site on Tuesday to encourage rescuers and comfort relations of those trapped in the rubble.
Dr. Hamzat left the site for the Lagos Island General Hospital to see the survivors.
The government promised to embark on further foundation and borehole acidic level tests to ascertain the impact on the collapsed building.
These tests, particularly the borehole acidic level, is important for the entire Gerrard Road and adjoining areas.
“We wish to state that there will be no cover-up in the search for the truth in this incident. If anybody is found to have been indicted, he or she will face the law.
“It is important to restate that all developers and property owners are required to adhere strictly to all building codes and planning regulations to ensure the safety of lives and property. Those who ignore such regulations, breaking seals and defying enforcement, will surely be prosecuted,” the Commissioner concluded.
