Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, has suspended the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency(LSBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki over the collapse of a 21-storey building in the high-brow Ikoyi, Lagos on Monday.
The governor has also constituted an independent probe panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the building while under construction.
Earlier The New Diplomat had reported that the 21-storey building located off Alexander way, Gerrard Road in Ikoyi, caved in at about 2 pm on Monday.
As of press time, death toll from the tragic collapse had hit 15, according to official figures given by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Over 50 persons were said to be in the building when it came down. Dozens are still trapped in the ruins more than 24 hours after the collapse.
“We have recovered more bodies. The death toll now stands at 15, while nine were pulled out alive,” Ibrahim Farinloye of NEMA said on Tuesday’s afternoon, noting that rescue operations were still ongoing.
Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu has now ordered an indefinite suspension of the LSBCA boss pending the conclusion of the investigation on the collapsed building.
This was contained in a press statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotoso.
Part of the statement read, “The Lagos State Government is setting up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.
“Members of the panel will be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners Nigeria Society of Engineers, and other professional bodies.
“It will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrences. The investigation is not 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, Mr. Gbolahan Oki, an architect, be suspended from work immediately. The suspension is indefinite.” Omotoso said.
This development is coming on the heels of the disclosure made by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat.
The deputy governor had revealed that LASBCA, few months ago had sealed the site when some “anomalies” were observed.
According to him, the agency at that time conducted a structural test on the building of which led to the discovery of the anomalies.
It remains unclear as of press time why the site was reopened despite the lapses reported.
