The chairman of the panel of inquiry set up to investigate the collapse of the 21-story building on Gerrard Road in Ikoyi, Toyin Ayinde has called on the Lagos state government not to allow those indicted to go unpunished.
The building was being developed by Fourscore Heights Limited and collapsed on November 1, 2021.
• 52 persons died in the incident
• Head of the inquiry panel wants culprits to be punished
It killed the developer, Femi Osibona, his assistant, a youth corps member, and dozens of construction workers.
In an exclusive interview with Nigeria Info, Mr. Ayinde said an investigation carried out by his team showed that the building permit issued to Fourscore Heights for the construction of the 21-story building was approved in three days.
He said deliberate actions led to the collapse.
“The building in Ikoyi collapsed artificially; that means it was human error. The approval of that structure was done within three days meaning there was not sufficient room for due diligence. That means there was no consideration if the designs of the building were accurate or not.
“We don’t lack laws, we have laws, what we need is the courage to implement the laws. 52 people died in the Ikoyi building collapse, and nobody is bearing any responsibility. Until we make people pay for their deliberate errors, nothing will change,” he said.
This is coming days after the Lagos state government reinstated the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency Gbolahan Oki after over five months of suspension.
The government said Mr. Oki was brought back after he was cleared of wrongdoings by the panel set up by the governor.
