EKO HOT BLOG reports that Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has set up a six-man independent investigation team to probe the remote and immediate cause of the collapse of a 21-storey building in the Ikoyi area of the state.
The governor made the disclosure on Wednesday when he visited the site of the building collapse, noting that the probe panel has 30 days to submit its report.
Governor Sanwo-Olu named members of the probe panel with the list comprising professional builder, town planner, structural engineer and legal practitioners – all from the private sector.
This online newspaper reports that the President of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr. Toyin Ayinde, was named as the chairman of the panel, while Ekundayo Onajobi, a lawyer in private law firm, was appointed the Secretary.
Other members of the panel include a structural engineer, Dr. Akintilo Idris Adeleke; an architect, Yinka Ogundairo; representative of Institute of Builders, Mr. Godfrey O. Godfrey, and Mrs. Bunmi Ibrahim, a property lawyer.
The panel’s terms of reference also include ascertaining whether there was a compromise of the building codes by the developer, his contractor and statutory regulatory agencies.
Amid speculations over what may have led to yet another building collapse in Lagos, the governor, on Tuesday, suspended the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, indefinitely.
It was learnt that Sanwo-Olu, who was on an official visit to Rome in Italy for G-20 Summit when the tragic incident occurred on Monday, cut short his trip and returned to Lagos on Tuesday to attend to the building collapse.
The governor, who described the building collapse as “a monumental disaster”, stated that mistakes must have been made in the process of developing the collapsed structure.
He, however, promised a thorough inquiry into the incident, adding that the full wrath of the law would be brought on anyone found to have compromised.
Governor Sanwo-Olu further charged the investigative team to explore all angles to determine the cause of the collapse.
Sanwo-Olu said, “We’ve promised to be open and thorough in investigating the cause of the collapse. In that regard, I have set up a high-powered professional investigative panel whose membership consists of professionals outside of the Government. The panel members have been given clear terms of reference and we are giving them 30-day assignment to tell us what has gone wrong at the site.
READ ALSO: Lagos Building Collapse: Sanwo-Olu Reveals Names Of Survivors
“The panel will be finding out who the culprits are. The investigation will start from the heads of regulatory agencies. Be rest assured that if there are other people that are found wanting in the course of investigation, everybody will face the full wrath of the law. Members of the panel are people of impeccable integrity and I will be signing an executive order to give the panel a legal backing.”
Other terms of reference of the panel include, determining whether there was full compliance with physical planning and building materials laws of the state; determining whether there was supervisory or oversight lapses on the part of regulatory agencies, and making necessary recommendations to guard against reoccurrence of similar incidents.
Sanwo-Olu maintained that it was difficult for the state government to know the exact number of people trapped, noting that none of the people linked to the housing project had come forward to offer information on the manifest.
As at Wednesday afternoon, the governor put the figure of confirmed fatality to 21, while nine persons were evacuated alive from the rubbles.
The Lagos State Government also set up a medical base and information desk at the site of the building collapse, urging those whose family members were still missing to offer information on identity.
The state government also announced a website (www.lagosmind.org/help) and helpline number (09090006463) for the distress family.
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