Building Collapse: Sawo-Olu Goes Hard on Developers, GovtOfficials
Kunle Awosiyan
Rainy season is here again and the fear of building collapse has gripped Lagosians, especially those who are close to the seashore.
In the last two years, no fewer than 10 cases of building collapse had been recorded in Lagos, killing about 60 people with hundreds wounded.
In November 2021 a 21-storey building under construction on Gerard Road, Ikoyi collapsed, leaving 42 persons dead. Many of them were construction workers who were inside the building when it caved in and collapsed.
In may 2022 another building collapsed on Ago Palace Way, leaving eight persons dead and many severely injured. In the same month, while the state government was still probing the cause of Ikoyi and Ago palace building collapse, another uncompleted structure fell in Ebutte-Metta, killing two people.
In August of the same year 2022, two building under construction in Ebutte-Metta and Ketu collapsed, killing six and four respectively.
All the accidents were investigated with final inferences that developers and some bad civil servants had compromised government regulations.
The coroner inquest into the Ikoyi 21-storey building collapse showed that there was a compromise between government officials that supervised it and the contractors in charge.
The coroner report signed by a Chief Magistrate O.A Komolafeon November 1, 2021 says,”Due to negligence by agencies responsible for approval and supervision of the building project, the 21-storey building on Gerard Road collapsed,”
According to the report, there was flagrant violation of the government regulation, especially in the building’s density and setback on the site.
The report also noted that the project board failed to show the names and addresses of the consultants, the contractors that were handling the project, which made it suspicious that there was a compromise somewhere.
Following the submission of the report, the state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was visibly bitter. At the State Executive Council meeting, a source said that the governor could not hide his anger.
He later asked the then Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Architect Idris Salako to resign or be booted out of the system.
It was also gathered that the deputy governor was not happy with the situation as he said that the present administration would not condone bad heads in the cabinet of Sanwo-Olu.
A few weeks after Salako’s resignation, the governor appointed Mr. Tayo Bamgbose-Martins as the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development but the question is,has this change of leadership reduced the corruption in the sector?
On April 12, 2023, a seven-storey building under construction collapsed on First Avenue, Banana Island Ikoyi but with no casualty.
According to the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, about 25 persons were rescued from the accident.
He said that the rescue team is still at the site evacuating the debris to know if people had been trapped underneath.
Oke-Osantintolu attributed the cause of the collapse to a truck that rammed into the building under construction, breaking some of its columns.
But to the commissioner, Mr. Bamgbose-Martins who also visited the site, the cause of the collapse could only be ascertained after necessary investigation is conducted and report submitted. He said that government would commence investigation soon.
Disturbed by the recent incident, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has put on hold all ongoing construction projects in Banana Island, Ikoyi.
He said this in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho.
Sanwo-Olu said that there would be no work at any site as government commences investigation over the latest building collapse on the first avenue of the Banana Island Estate on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the Lagos State Government has launched a probe into the collapse of the seven-storey building under construction on Banana Island, Ikoyi, following a directive by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The statement noted that although nobody died in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday – as of the time of this report, every work must stop in the estate for now.
Giving the situation the statement noted that 25 people were rescued from the site, which Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) scanned with a high-precision 3-D Laser Imagery System for life, and found no evidence of anyone trapped in the rubble. A roll call has also been done by the site supervisors, with everyone accounted for.
Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has continued with the excavation of the site, using the architectural designs. The site has been divided into quadrants for a painstaking search and rescue operation.
According to the statement, presently, quadrants two and three have been levelled to ground zero, with the search operation completed. Quadrants one and four are ongoing.”
“Physical Planning and Urban Development Commissioner Bamgbose-Martins, an engineer and Special Duties Special Adviser Mobolaji Ogunlende are
co-ordinating the operations. LASEMA Permanent Secretary DrOlufemi Oke-Osanyintolu is leading the search-and-rescue efforts.
Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi has visited the site and hospitals where victims of the incident were admitted,” the statement said.
Of the 25 persons rescued by LASEMA, 16 with moderate injuries were admitted at General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island and Police Hospital Falomo for treatment and care. Nine others with minor injuries, such as bruises, were treated and discharged at the site by Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS).
Of the 16 persons on admission, 11 were taken to Police Hospital Falomo. Eight of the 11 persons have been treated and discharged. Some are required to come for daily follow-up and management. Three with various injuries, including blunt traumatic chest injury, knee injuries, deep lacerations and others, are on admission.
At the General Hospital Odan, Lagos Island, there are five patients with more serious injuries.
The State Government, as a matter of policy, will be responsible for the emergency treatment and care, including the medical bills of the patients on admission, It will also provide a post-trauma counselling support and care for all victims through the Lagos MiND programme (Mental Health in Development) – afree mental health counselling and support service provided by the Ministry of Health.
Preliminary investigations have shown that the incident occurred during concrete casting. Eyewitnesses said one of the concrete mixer trucks rammed into some load-bearing columns of the building, causing a loud bang and leading to the collapse.
The building was hitherto sealed by the Lagos State Government for not having the approval to commence construction, but the developers continued to build, hiding under the security of their estate/gated community.
Mr Governor has directed that all developments on Banana Island be placed on hold, subject to a comprehensive audit by the officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA). This is to determine:
• how many buildings are being constructed without approval from the Lagos State Government; and
• if all approved buildings are being built in line with the approval limits provided.”
Sanwo-Olu said that the exercise would be extended to other estates and gated communities.
Before now, the Lagos State House of Assembly in its effort to address incessant building collapse had looked into how contracts were being awarded by the executive arm of the government.
Early this year, the house summoned the Commissioner, Bamgbose-Martins to explain why his office had been awarding contracts without making recourse to the house for ratification.
Bamgbose who later appeared exposed fresh allegations of some new appointments of personalities who now parade themselves as supervisors of some projects, which the house knew nothing about.
To this, the house had since announced its plan to stop the salaries of all political appointees that were never ratified by the legislature.
Investigation.also revealed that many who claimed to be government appointees were more or less touts who move across project sites to compromise government regulations.
