Almost two weeks after the six-man tribunal of inquiry investigating the collapse of a 21-storey structure on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, which claimed over 40 lives, submitted its report, the Lagos State government is yet to come up with a white paper on the panel’s recommendations.
The state government just as it did in the #EndSARS panel’s report, promised to issue a white paper on the findings and recommendations of the panel.
The state Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had on January 5 received the panel’s report with a promise to implement recommendations in order to forestall recurrence of such tragedy in the state.
The governor, thereafter set up a four-man committee led by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Tayo Bamgbose-Martins, an engineer, as a first step to the implementation of the report submitted by the Panel chairman, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, a town planner.
The building collapsed on November 1, 2021. He said the committee would bring forward a report to be considered by the Lagos State Executive Council. Other members of the committee are Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola; Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) and his Agriculture counterpart, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, who is an architect.
While presenting the report, Ayinde pointed out that most incidences of building collapse are rooted in the collapse of values, morals and ethics, which the state, and indeed Nigeria, needs to work on to avert needless death and sorrow.
He added that those who were saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that due process was followed failed in one way or the other at different times, which led to the recurrent decimal of building collapse tragedies.
Ayinde, however, sought the protection of its members, saying it acted strictly based on the information at its disposal and would not want to be labeled as the villains for discharging the assignment without sentiments and prejudices.
Findings by New Telegraph had also revealed that top officials of the Lagos State government were indicted in the collapse of the 21-storey building.
