New Telegraph

Collapsed Ikoyi building: Lagos releases names of survivors

…. ‘Approval Document’ leaked

..…as LAAPPPA seals 67 structures in Alimosho

As a measure to douse tension from families and relatives of artisans and workers believed to be trapped under the rubble of the ill-fated structure, the Lagos State Government has released names of people brought out from the 21-storey collapsed building in Ikoyi.

This was even as a document showing that the ill-fated building got permits for only 15 floors and not 21 floors surfaced in the social media. There has been controversy surrounding the exact number of floors approved by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) and the Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

While some officials revealed that the owner of the collapsed structure flouted the building approval by adding additional floors, others said he had not.

But speaking during his second visit to the collapsed building site Wednesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that the state government has set up a five-man panel of inquiry expected to investigate the causes of the collapsed building and proffer solutions towards preventing future occurrence across the state.

The governor confirmed that three of the nine persons brought out from the rubble had been discharged while six were currently on admission at the Lagos Island Hospital in Marina. He assured Lagosians searching for their relatives to remain calm as efforts had been intensified to rescue everyone trapped.

The names of the six survivors are: Oduntan Timilehin (26, m), a 19-year-old from Benin Republic, Ahmed Kenleku, 21-year-old Sunday Monday, who had leg fractures, 37-year-old Adeniran Mayowa, Sholagbade Nurudeen (33, m) and Waliu Lateef (32, m).

According to him: “We expect that contractors should keep the names of anyone coming into their construction site but this is not the case here. Also, it has been difficult to get the full information from the company, Fourscore Homes. This is why it has been difficult for everyone to get full details from the government.

“Since we do not have a manifest, we have set up a desk here where anyone that is missing and the relatives assumed had come to the site for any activity should visit here and put down the details of the person including the photograph.

“Aside from this, we have also created a website for a missing person, which is Lagosmind.org, where anyone missing could be reported and the officials can assist with the search.”

On the panel, the governor noted that members of the five-man panel and the secretary were selected based on expertise over the years in the real estate industry.

“I have set up a high-powered commission of inquiry consisting of five members who are top professionals in the country,” the governor said.

“Members of the panel include President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners of Nigeria, Tayo Ayinde; a foremost structural engineer, Akintilo Idris Adeleke; a partner with a leading architectural firm, Yinka Ogundairo; a foremost builder in the country, Godfrey Godfrey, and a lawyer and property expert, Bunmi Ibrahim. And the secretary of the panel is a lawyer, Ekundayo Onajobi.”

Meanwhile, no fewer than 67 commercial and residential buildings, as well as structures in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, have been sealed by officials of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) for contravening the state’s Physical Planning regulations during a recent enforcement exercise carried out by the Authority.

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