14 confirmed Dead, 9 Rescued
General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki became the first casualty of Monday’s 21-storey building collapse as the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday ordered his indefinte suspension from work.
Oki, an architect, had literally shot himself in the foot, when he told newsmen at the collapsed building site on Monday evening that approval was only given to the developer for a 15-storey building and not 21 before the unfortunate incident.
But his position was countered by the State’s Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat who told newsmen shortly after inspecting the site on Tuesday afternoon that the government approved the 21-storey building project.
Meanwhile, as rescue operations continue, the government has confirmed officially that 14 bodies have been recovered from the rubbles, while 9 persons have been rescued so far.
The government also disclosed that it has concluded plans to set up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.
Members of the panel, according to the government, 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.
A statement signed by the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, read, “It (the panel) will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence. The investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government”.
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