•Pillar cracked shortly before collapse- worker
•Lagos orders immediate probe
•Why we pulled out of construction site, former structural consultant explains
By Babs Oyetoro and Quadri Akanbi
It was another sad day yesterday in Lagos as a 21-storey building collapsed in the highbrow area of Ikoyi, in the Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area of the state.
ThisNigeria learnt that the incident, which occurred around 2pm, claimed no fewer than 50 persons in the collapsed building which was still under construction on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.
According to an eyewitness account, the incident happened at about 2pm while the workers were at work at the site.
It was gathered that the owner of the building, identified as Mr Wale Bobb, was said to be having a meeting with some expatriates when the building suddenly collapsed on them, with many construction workers and developers trapped in the rubbles.
The unconfirmed report also disclosed that Bobb’s brother, who just came back from the United States was trapped in the building, alongside a man billed to travel out of the country last night.
Meanwhile, it took almost three hours before the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the men of the Fire Services arrived at the scene of the incident to start the rescue operation.
Before their arrival, devastated construction workers in the opposite buildings had brought out five bodies of dead workers from the rubbles.
One of the construction workers, named Eric, who managed to escape, said he noticed cracks on one of the pillars of the building a few moments before it collapsed.
Eric said after noticing the cracks, he had to relocate to another part of the building, adding that within split seconds the building caved in and he managed to escape.
“I noticed cracks on the pillar and immediately left the scene. It happened in split seconds and before long, the whole 21 floors came down. I was lucky to have escaped,” he said.
A construction worker around the scene of the incident, who simply identified himself as Wisdom, said: “We were working in the opposite building when we heard a large bang and within seconds the building was down. We rushed down here to try to rescue some of the trapped bodies, but some of us were only able to bring out five lifeless bodies of construction workers. It took over three hours before aids came from fire service and emergency management team.”
It was, however, observed that LASEMA officials arrived at the scene almost three hours after the collapse.
As at 5pm, the emergency agency had deployed heavy-duty equipment for rescue operation, while over five bodies had been removed from the rubbles.
Why we pulled out of construction site, former structural consultant explains
On February 20, 2020, the structural consulting firm, Prowess Engineering Limited, handling the project, terminated its contractual agreement with the owners, saying they could no longer share the same vision with their client based on how the project was handled.
In a letter titled, Re: Proposed Gerrard Terraces For Fourscore Limited and signed by the Managing Director, Muritala Olawale, it was clearly stated that they would not take responsibilities for any construction errors that might have occurred overtime on the project. It was later gathered that the firm requested that its company’s name and logo be removed from the project board forthwith.
“We can guarantee the integrity of the first two buildings and also work 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 of each stage of the building to date.
“We no longer share the same vision with you as our client in terms of how the project is being executed. Kindly, note that we are not taking responsibility for any other construction errors that may have occurred overtime on the project”, the letter reads in part.
Sanwo-Olu orders immediate probe
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has called for calm over the collapse tbuilding.
The Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, who visited the scene of the incident, directed security agents to cordon off the site to facilitate rescue operation.
Hamzat visited the site in the company of other officials, including the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako; Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Bamgbose- Martins; Special Adviser on Urban Development, Mr Ganiyu Adele Ayuba; Special Adviser, GIS, and Physical Planning, Dr Olajide Babatunde; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mrs Abiola Kosegbe as well as LASEMA’s Director-General, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu.
According to a statement from the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, a report of the investigations would be made public in due course.
The Lagos Rescue Unit (LRU), Lagos State Fire Service, and Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS) were on the site, battling to save the lives of those under the rubble. Three persons have been rescued, even as the operations to save more lives continue.
The General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Arch. Gbolahan Oki, was also at the scene to assess the site for any likely damage to the surrounding structures.
A former President of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr Kunle Awobodu, said the collapse of a 21-storey building will send jitters to residents of the highbrow area.
Awobodu said: “Lagos is gradually becoming notorious for the frequent collapse of buildings. This is bad considering the number of floors that collapse and the location of the building, Ikoyi, which is one of the most valued areas in Nigeria, or even West Africa. The Ikoyi environment has instilled confidence in those who rent houses, apartments, or properties.
“What as happened today (yesterday) has put a big question mark on our development control, building control in Nigeria. It is rare to have the developer of a building being trapped, so this is quite worrisome, honestly speaking. It’s quite worrisome and we cannot say much now because we don’t have most of the facts,” he said.
“The letter from the structural consultant did not have an acknowledgment letter. So, when you claim you wrote a letter, there should be an acknowledgment letter so that it won’t be seen as a one-way thing,” he added.
