Lagos State Government has announced that the two skyscrapers remaining after the November 1 building collapse on Gerrard road, Ikoyi will be demolished.
Recall that at least 50 persons were trapped in the building after it collapsed last year. Following rescue efforts, 45 persons including owner of the firm developing the building, Mr. Femi Osibona died in the building collapse while nine persons were rescued.
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According to a statement on Thursday, Lagos government said the two 15-storey building will be demolished because they failed structural integrity tests and will be pulled down through controlled demolition.
The statement added that the government has accepted 26 recommendations of Toyin Ayinde-led panel that investigated the collapse and rejected two of the 28 recommendations made by the panel.
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Some government officials which were indicted will also face administrative disciplinary panels for their involvement in granting approval to the developer in 2019.
Additionally, the state government accepted the recommendation of the panel that the Developer of the collapsed property, Fourscore Heights Limited, be prosecuted because of the loss of lives at the rubble.
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The report which was submitted on January 5th, by the panel chairman Mr. Toyin Ayinde, who is a town planner, blamed the collapse on the erosion of professional ethics and disregard for due diligence.
In the course of their investigations, the panel members were reported to have visited the project site for a general assessment; coordinated activities of the consultants who conducted tests on the site, and reviewed documents from relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
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They also conducted interviews; interrogated 91 persons; collected 21 memoranda and accessed the remaining buildings being developed by late Osibona.
The tribunal, which was given nine terms of reference, also hosted a representation of the developer’s company comprising two legal firms.
A new committee, which reviewed the tribunal’s 28 recommendations, was chaired by Commissioner for Special Duties, Tayo Bamgbose-Martins.
Read Also: LASEMA Says No Victim Died During Rescue Operation At Site Of Collapsed Ikoyi Building
Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Moyosore Onigbanjo, and Agriculture Commissioner Mrs. Abisola Olusanya, served as members of the new committee.
The white paper frowned at a situation in which Fourscore Heights Limited was the builder and architect at the same time. For this, the tribunal concluded that company did not do the right thing and their negligence led to the loss of lives.
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The state government has since directed the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to institute appropriate charges against the company.
The White Paper also recommended the “evacuation of all occupants within a 45m radius from the extreme boundaries of the blocks in the interest of public safety.”
The document chided three town planners (civil servants) who were said to have lied on oath.
According to the report, the three town planners were said to have authored a report using a consultancy firm’s name and claiming it was the firm that signed the papers for the collapsed building – all done without the knowledge of the firm’s owners.
The three civil servants are to be prosecuted for preparing a consultant’s report through a dubious method.
However, one Oluwole Oludimu of Prowess Engineering Limited was highly commended for exhibiting the highest professionalism in challenging circumstances and standing firm despite intimidation by the developer and subsequent removal from the site by his firm.
The government also accepted the recommendation that an audit exercise by an independent consortium of professionals to scrutinise all high-rise buildings in the state.
Also accepted was the recommendation that there should be training for all officials involved in the building approval section, with more hands recruited to assist agencies that are short-staffed.
