The Lagos State government has said preliminary findings on the collapsed five-storey building in Lekki which left 34 people dead, showed that it exceeded the number of floors approved by the authorities.
The collapsed building in Lagos
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TheCable, vice chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Adelaja Adekanbi, has said that Lekki Gardens, owners of the collapsed Lekki building which left 34 people dead, unprofessionally added the last two floors of the building, against professional advice, adding that the builders failed to put up a stable structure.
"All the work that has been done here is nothing to write home about; it’s work that was done under no supervision, under no professional engineer or builder.
“Let them bring the engineer or builder that is involved in the construction. The first two building here, I was involved in it; I taught them what to do. They wanted to raise two floors and they did a piling of six metres for this kind of structure so the structural stability is failure and where we are standing, if you don’t know, was purely water two years ago.
Officials rescuing a victim from the collapsed building
"Imagine someone building on water and doing a piling of six metres for a seven-storeyed building. I recommend to Lagos state government that every building here painted or not, should be tested.
"This house we are looking at should also be pulled down in a week. If not, we are looking for another trouble. At this point, I recommend that every house here should be tested to ascertain the structural stability because I don’t think they are habitable."
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government also said preliminary findings on the collapsed five-storey building in Lekki showed that it exceeded the number of floors approved by the authorities.
6 bodies were recovered Wednesday afternoon from the rubble where the building collapsed, while 18 bodies were recovered on Tuesday, bringing the total to 24, the National Emergency Management Agency said.
A victim stuck in the collapsed building
In a statement issued by Steve Ayorinde, the Lagos state commissioner for information and strategy, the government said it had summoned the owners of the building, Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited.
The statement quoted the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as saying that all directors of Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited were strongly advised to submit themselves to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police within the next 24 four hours in their own interest or be arrested.
"Based on preliminary reports and investigation, it was discovered that the collapsed building was served contravention notice for exceeding the approved floors and thereafter sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency," the statement said.
It added that it had also been discovered that in a brazen act of 'defiance and impunity', Messrs Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, which promotes Lekki Gardens, criminally unsealed the property and continued building beyond the approved floors.
The state government consequently directed the suspension of work at the site and ordered the Lagos State Police Command to cordon it off as it is now a crime scene.