• No casualty as LASEMA asks residents of adjoining buildings to vacate
• Developers broke seal to continue construction, govt says
Barely 24 hours after, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, visited the collapsed site of the seven-storey building on First Avenue, Banana Island, another building, yesterday, caved in though without casualty.
The building, a two-storey building under construction, collapsed at 43, Ladipo Oluwo Street, Government Reserved Area (GRA), Apapa, Lagos.
It was learnt that a bolt of lightning hit the building before it came down at about 9:00a.m.
Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL) had on January 5, 2023, sealed the building, but the developer continued with the construction.
After the collapse yesterday, officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) further sealed it up.
When The Guardian visited the scene, it was discovered that there was no signboard to indicate the nature of the building being constructed, no name of the contractor, and nothing to show when the project commenced, which was against LASBCA’s building regulations.
A resident in the area, who did not want her name mentioned, said workers were on the site on Friday, April 21, 2023, but left on Saturday due to the Eid-el-Fitr holidays.
She added: “My husband had severally raised the alarm about the building and he was not surprised when he heard that the building has collapsed.”
Speaking with The Guardian, Director, Operation, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olatunde Akinsanya, said: “We got here 10 minutes after the incident happened and the operation has been swift, prompt and effective. Together with all the stakeholders, we have assessed the collapsed structure and have given instructions to people in the adjacent structures to leave to prevent a secondary incident. It’s unfortunate that we are having this kind of situation at this time. However, we thank God that no life was lost because workers are away there but for the festive season.
“The buildings are too close and that raises the vulnerability associated with this kind of structure, and that is why the people living around must be educated and moved out for the time being. It will take LASEMA, LABSCA, and LSMTL to take action, and hopefully by Wednesday, action will be taken.
Asked about the identity of the contractor, he said: “We don’t know the name; no sign board, nothing to show about the contractor working on the project, however, we will keep our ears close to the ground and very soon, we will let Lagosians know. Lagosians should be calm, the government is taking responsibility and action to prevent secondary incidents.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, in a statement, yesterday, said developers of the three-floor building, ignored the stop work and sealed up orders of LASBCA and continued construction behind the scene.
Spokesperson for the Ministry, Mukaila Sanusi, in a statement, said the incident, which was flagged on the Physical Planning Incident Management Platform on Sunday evening, triggered immediate preliminary enquiries that showed that officers of LASBCA had issued a number of contravention notices, stop work and seal up orders, which the developer ignored and carried on construction without any recourse, whatsoever, to the authorities.
“There has been no report of any casualty, while the site has been cordoned off and taken over by LASBCA
“This particular incident, like similar others, reinforces governments repeated calls for responsible behaviour on the part of all stakeholders in the built environment.
“Lagos State government has immediately activated inquiries into the collapse to unravel the minute details and guide appropriate actions,” he added.
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