Breaking: Lagos Sets up Probe Panel, Suspends Building Control GM

Segun James

The Lagos State Government is setting up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey high-rise building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.

This is as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the indefinite suspension of the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki.

Also nine more persons have been rescued from under the rubles of the building even as the death toll has risen to 14.

The state government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho, said members of the panel will be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and other professional bodies.

It will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence.

The statement however said that the investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government.

It said the government will 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,” it said.

Similarly, Governor 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 the immediate and indefinite suspension of the General Manager of LASBCA, Oki, an architect.

Meanwhile, nine persons — all men — have been pulled out of the rubble alive, the government has said.

They have been taken to the hospital.
Unfortunately, 14 others were brought out dead as at 2pm Tuesday, as more equipment and personnel have been deployed in the site to save more lives.

Sanwo-Olu commended all first responders and those who joined the rescue efforts, including construction giants, Julius Berger, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Omotoso said that a help desk is to be set up at the site for people seeking information about their relations who may have been involved in the incident.

“The media are hereby notified that the government will be releasing information whenever the need arises to avoid any sensational reporting of the unfortunate incident,” he said.

The Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, was at the site to encourage rescuers and comfort relations of those trapped in the rubble. He left the site for the Lagos Island General Hospital to see the survivors.