So far, the collapsed 21-storey Tower on Gerard Road, Lagos killed 15 persons Monday, Lagos State government has confirmed.
This is as desperate search by rescue teams for survivors continues 24 hours after the high-rise building caved in and buried about 50 persons.
A press release by Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, Tuesday stated that nine persons were pulled out alive from the rubble while several others are still trapped and feared dead in the debris.
“Nine persons – all men – have been pulled out of the rubble alive. They have been taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, 15 others were brought out dead – as at 2 p.m.’’
The statement read in part: “Governor Babajide 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 LASBCA, Mr. Gbolahan Oki, an architect, be suspended from work immediately. The suspension is indefinite.
“More equipment and personnel have been deployed in the site to save more lives.
“Mr. Sanwo-Olu thanks all first responders and those who have joined the rescue efforts, including construction giants Julius Berger, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).”
Governor Sanwo-Olu suspends Lagos State Building Control Agency boss
Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered indefinite suspension of the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, Mr. Gbolahan Oki, an architect.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, in the meantime, has set up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building.
The panel comprises the Nigeria Institute of Architects, NIA; Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NITP; Nigeria Society of Engineers NSE, and other professional bodies.
It 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.
Consultant withdrew over poor execution in Feb 2020
Although the cause of the collapse is not known, unconfirmed reports indicated how Prowess Engineering Limited withdrew its services from the building over poor execution of the project.
In a letter dated February 20, 2020, Muritala Olawale, Managing Director of Prowess Engineering Limited, said the firm could no longer vouch for the integrity of the building.
The letter addressed to Femi Osibona of Fourscore Heights Limited, the main contractor, stated that the execution of the project didn’t meet the required criteria.
It read: “This letter is to formally inform you of the withdrawal of our structural consultancy service from the above named project.
“We arrived at this decision due to the fact that we no longer share same vision with you as our client in terms of how the project is being executed,” the letter stated.
“We can guarantee the integrity of the first two buildings and also works done up to the fourth floor of the third building supervised by us provided specifications have been met in terms of the required concrete strength.
“This we do not have control over as we do not have the concrete cube test results for each stage of the building till date,
“Also, kindly note that we are not taking responsibilities for any other construction errors that may have occurred over time on the project.
“Furthermore, we request that our company’s name and logo be removed from the project board and also kindly notify all necessary approving authorities of our withdrawal from the project.
“We regret this decision and the lost opportunity to do business together. We look forward to future cooperation in other projects.”
Vanguard learned that the developer got approval for 15-floor, the building was raised to 21, prompting the state government to mark it for violation of state building regulations.
It was discovered that the signpost at the site bore the telephone numbers of the client posing as consultant and architect without any provision for experts.
Luxury apartment costs N2.85b
Luxury apartments in the 21-story building were sold for $5 million (N2.85 billion each at the prevailing exchange rate of N570/$) per apartment, according to online listings.
A flyer designed for the residential facility indicated that 65 per cent of the penthouses valued at $5 million each had been sold before its collapse.
However, other listings indicated that there were other low-ranged apartments listed for $1.2 million (N684 million).
An online flyer pitched the building as “Luxury in the Sky.” It was 80 per cent completed prior to the collapse and was expected to start running in 2022.
