PRESS RELEASE
‘ONLY 19 FAMILIES REPORT MISSING PERSONS; 32 BODIES RECOVERED SO FAR’ – SANWO-OLU
…Governor back at site of Ikoyi building collapse
…Emergency teams ramp up recovery operation
For the third time within 72 hours, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was at the site of the Ikoyi building collapse to see how the search and recovery operation was being conducted, and also to boost the morale of the emergency responders on site.
The Governor expressed satisfaction with the rescue operation, commending the first responders for their efforts. He also met with some of the distressed family members at the site, cheering them and raising their hopes, while the rescue efforts progressed.
Sanwo-Olu was in company of his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, at the site for over three hours.
The actual number of persons trapped in the collapsed 21-storey building remains unclear as at Thursday afternoon, but 32 fatalities have been recorded, the Governor confirmed.
Sanwo-Olu, while giving an update to the press, disclosed that family members had submitted 19 names of those still missing, saying the ongoing corona inquest on the bodies evacuated from the site was expected to be concluded by Friday (tomorrow) after which families would be invited to identify them.
He said: “Yesterday (Wednesday), we opened a register for people that have missing persons or loved ones whom they believed must have been at the site before the collapse. As I speak here, it is only 19 names of missing persons that have been registered. Some of them have pictures, others do not. This list would help us to get information on manifest of those at the site.
“As at this afternoon, we have recovered a total of 32 bodies. We are conducting a corona inquest on the bodies and by tomorrow (Friday), we hope the exercise would have been concluded. That is the deadline we gave to the corona, so that the families can come and identify the bodies recovered so far.”
Earlier on Thursday, the Governor visited Lagos Island General Hospital where survivors of the building collapse are being given medical attention.
One of the nine people rescued alive, Sanwo-Olu said, has been moved to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja for advanced medical examination, but he is not in a life-threatening situation. Three survivors were discharged two days ago.
The Governor said he had ordered structural integrity test on two high-rise structures in the premises where the 21-storey collapsed. The action, he said, is necessary to safeguard the lives of emergency workers on the rescue operation.
Sanwo-Olu appealed to journalists covering the incident on speculative reporting and sensationalism, asking them to confirm any unclear details about the search and rescue operation from the official channel of communication. The Governor was reacting to inconsistent figures of fatality being spread by the media.
He said: “Ministries of Information, Special Duties and Health are fully on ground at the scene. Among these key ministries, members of the public can get answers to any information not clear to them.”
The multi-sectoral search and rescue operation was ongoing at press time. The effort is being led by teams of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with the support of construction giants, Julius Berger, Craneburg, HiTech and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
NOVEMBER 4, 2021
Akpabio’s Performance: South-South leaders write Buhari
- Describe NDDC forensic report as a great boon to the Niger Delta region
Notable leaders in the South-South geo-political zone on Thursday urged youths and women in the Niger Delta region to treat President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio with respect.
The leaders also praised Akpabio for looking after the interests of the Niger Delta people with all diligence.
‘’The firmness and energy of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio, have been admirable’’
In a statement in Port Harcourt, the leaders described the views of the Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA) and Wailing Women of Niger Delta (WWND) as contradictory and a direct attack on the Federal Government.
‘’Chief Godswill Akpabio is doing all he can decently for the Niger Delta region’’
The statement underscored court cases, studying of the NDDC report and implementation of the recommendations.
‘’It is not wise to raise the question of NDDC board appointment or inauguration at this time’’
Signed by the Chairman of South-South Front (SSF), Chief John Harry, the leaders described the NDDC forensic report as a great boon to the Niger Delta region.
They accused the Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA) and the Wailing Women of Niger Delta (WWND) of working against the speedy development of the Niger Delta region.
‘’Nothing vexes us more than the ill-informed opinion of INYA President, Comrade Amos Etaluku. We are very annoyed at what the President of the Wailing Women of Niger Delta (WWND), Onye Nwadighi, is reported to have said.
The leaders said there was no need for women to march round the streets of Port Harcourt as well as the corporate headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) naked.
‘’The opposition of WWND and INYA to the reforms of the Federal Government in the region is based on unsound reasons’’
The leaders urged INYA and WWND members to back out of nonsense opinions.
‘’Please refuse foolish idea, shameful and destructive activities’’
The statement also emphasized Akpabio’s honest and sagacious opinion on the way forward for the region.
‘’We are satisfied with Akpabio’s performance and have written to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for the steps so far taken’’
The leaders vowed to treat as enemies anyone who should obstruct the development of the region by the current administration.
‘’We must all do our best to promote peace and goodwill in the region. The report of the NDDC forensic audit holds out a good prospect of peace and development’’
PRESS RELEASE
SANWO-OLU INAUGURATES TRIBUNAL TO PROBE IKOYI BUILDING COLLAPSE
- ‘Public deserves to know what went wrong’ – Governor
- Panel chair: ‘We’ll be guided by professionalism’
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, inaugurated members of the investigation tribunal that will conduct an inquiry into the misconduct responsible for the collapse of a 21-storey structure on Gerrard Road in Ikoyi on Monday.
The Governor also signed the instrument legitimising the composition of the panel and empowering the tribunal to invite or summon anyone and organisation useful to the investigation.
Members of the tribunal, who are totally drawn from the private sector, took the oath at the event held in the LASWA Building at Falomo, Ikoyi. Their duty begins immediately and they are expected to report back within four weeks.
President of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr. Toyin Ayinde, is the chairman of the panel, while Ekundayo Onajobi, a lawyer in a private law firm, is the Secretary.
Other panel members are a structural engineer, Dr. Akintilo Idris Adeleke; an architect, Yinka Ogundairo; representative of Institute of Builders, Mr. Godfrey O. Godfrey, and Mrs. Bunmi Ibrahim, a real estate lawyer.
Sanwo-Olu, who described the event as a “sad one” for Lagos was visibly in a sombre mood during the inauguration.
The Governor said that the public deserved to know what went wrong. He stressed that the work of the panel would not bring back the lives lost, but added that it would help to prevent reoccurrence of such tragic events.
He said: “We are gathered here to perform a sad but necessary duty, which is the inauguration of a 6-member Panel of Inquiry into the collapse of the 21-storey building at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, on Monday. It is a solemn moment for me personally, but this is an important assignment. Indeed, the generation coming after will not forgive us if we don’t do the right thing on this incident.
“The inauguration of this panel shows sincerely that the State Government is interested in unravelling and get to the root cause of what happened to the building, so that everyone concerned, including the Government, will learn from the very unfortunate incident. Lagosians and the world will be watching and waiting keenly, with the full expectation that the immediate and remote causes of this tragedy will be uncovered.”
Sanwo-Olu identified with distraught families of victims trapped under the collapsed structure, expressing the belief that the outcome of the investigation would assuage their pains and worries.
The oath taken by the tribunal members, the Governor said, empowers them with adequate privileges of Government powers to conduct independent investigation without fear, favour, interference and restrictions.
The Governor believed the tribunal members would bring their expertise and professionalism to bear in unravelling the infractions that brought down the building.
“What this tribunal will be doing over the course of the next few weeks will have important implications for building safety and for emergency response, not just in Lagos, but in the entire country. It will also go a long way towards ensuring that the families of the innocent victims of this avoidable tragedy experience some sort of closure and get justice,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Ayinde said Lagos was in its “dark period”, given the record of fatalities from the site of the building collapse.
He pledged on behalf of members to discharge the duty with all sense of responsibility and in line with ethics.
“We accept at our own liberty and with humility the important assignment the State has placed before us. We will go ahead with a sense of dedicated responsibility. This exercise can only make the expected difference if we all agree to place value on Nigerian life. As members, we promise to be guided by professional standards and hope that we will chart a new course that will guarantee the safety of lives of Nigeria citizens,” Ayinde said.
SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
NOVEMBER 4, 2021
BUILDING COLLAPSE: SANWO-OLU SETS UP SIX-MAN PROBE PANEL, APPOINTS TOWN PLANNERS’ PRESIDENT AS CHAIRMAN
- Inquiry Team Has 30 Days to Submit Report
- Governor Cuts Short Official Trip to Rome to Attend to Emergency
The six-man independent investigation team set up by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to probe the remote and immediate cause of the collapse of a 21-storey building in Ikoyi has 30 days to submit its report.
Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, named members of the probe panel at the scene of the incident, with the list comprising professional builder, town planner, structural engineer and legal practitioners – all from the private sector.
President of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), President of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr. Toyin Ayinde, is the chairman of the panel, while Ekundayo Onajobi, a lawyer in private law firm, is the Secretary.
Other panel members are a structural engineer, Dr. Akintilo Idris Adeleke; an architect, Yinka Ogundairo; representative of Institute of Builders, Mr. Godfrey O. Godfrey, and Mrs. Bunmi Ibrahim, a property lawyer.
The panel’s terms of reference also include ascertaining whether there was a compromise of the building codes by the developer, his contractor and statutory regulatory agencies.
Already, General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Arc. Gbolahan Oki, has been suspended indefinitely by the Governor.
Sanwo-Olu was on an official visit to Rome in Italy for G-20 Summit when he learnt of the incident on Monday. The Governor cut short his trip and returned to Lagos on Tuesday to attend to the emergency.
Arriving at the scene, the Governor met with the victims’ family members, raising their hopes and showing compassion to calm them.
Describing the event as “a monumental disaster”, Sanwo-Olu hinted that mistakes must have been made in the process of developing the collapsed structure. The Governor promised a thorough inquiry into the matter, adding that the full wrath of the law would be brought on anyone found to have compromised.
The Governor charged the investigative team to explore all angles to determine the cause of the collapse.
Sanwo-Olu said: “We’ve promised to be open and thorough in investigating the cause of the collapse. In that regard, I have set up a high-powered professional investigative panel whose membership consists of professionals outside of the Government. The panel members have been given clear terms of reference and we are giving them 30-day assignment to tell us what has gone wrong at the site.
“The panel will be finding out who the culprits are. The investigation will start from the heads of regulatory agencies. Be rest assured that if there are other people that are found wanting in the course of investigation, everybody will face the full wrath of the law. Members of the panel are people of impeccable integrity and I will be signing an executive order to give the panel a legal backing.”
Other terms of reference of the panel include, determining whether there was full compliance with physical planning and building materials laws of the State; determining whether there was supervisory or oversight lapses on the part of regulatory agencies, and making necessary recommendations to guard against reoccurrence of similar incidents.
Sanwo-Olu maintained that it was difficult for the Government to know the exact number of people trapped, noting that none of the people linked to the housing project had come forward to offer information on the manifest.
As at Wednesday afternoon, the Governor put the figure of confirmed fatality to 21, while nine persons were evacuated alive from the rubbles.
“I express my deepest sympathy to the families of those that have been involved in this unfortunate incident. For the bodies recovered from the site, we are currently conducting systematic process of identifying them. Before the end of today or tomorrow, the process would have been completed and family members can come forward to identify them,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The State Government set up a medical base and information desk at the site of the building collapse, urging those whose family members were still missing to offer information on identity. There is also a website (www.lagosmind.org/help) and helpline number (09090006463) for the distress family.
The multi-sectoral search and rescue operation was ongoing at press time. The effort is being led by teams of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with the support of construction giants, Julius Berger, Craneburg, HiTech
and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
Those rescued from the rubbles are Oduntan Timilehin, 26; Sunday Monday, 21; Adeniran Mayowa, 37; Sholagbade Nurudeen, 33; Waliu Lateef, 32, and Ahmed Kanleku, a 19-year-old Beninoise.
SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
NOVEMBER 3, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
NINE OF THOSE TRAPPED IN COLLAPSED IKOYI STRUCTURE RESCUED ALIVE, THREE DISCHARGED – LASG
- 10 Bodies Evacuated, Total Figure of Trapped Occupants Unclear
Lagos State Government has given an update on the ongoing rescue operation at the site of the Monday building collapse in Ikoyi. A total of nine persons have been brought out alive from the rubbles, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, said at the scene on Tuesday.
Hamzat, in company of cabinet members, said 10 bodies were removed from the rubbles after an overnight search and rescue operation by a combined team of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with the support of construction giants, Julius Berger and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
Actual number of people trapped in the collapsed uncompleted structure remains unknown at the time of the Deputy Governor’s visit, but Hamzat said some of the workers interviewed gave the figure between 24 and 28.
Three of nine persons evacuated alive have been discharged from the hospital. The victims were being treated at Lagos Island General Hospital in Marina.
The Deputy Governor said: “Our search and rescue operation is ongoing to remove those possibly still trapped under the rubbles. Our focus right now is to get people out alive. This morning, we took out two people alive and they are responding well to treatment in the hospital.
“Totally, we have evacuated nine people alive and three of them have been discharged. We have also sadly taken out 10 dead bodies. We believe there could be more people trapped in the building but all our efforts are focused on rescue.”
Hamzat condemned what he called “needless gathering” of people who had nothing to do with the rescue operation at the scene, stressing that their presence was distracting those involved in the search efforts.
“What is currently happening at the site of the incident is a search and rescue operation. It is not so good to have a lot of people at the site. Sometimes, the rescuers require silence to be able to hear the voices of those who may still be trapped. The operation is ongoing and we hope we will be able to rescue more. We will not leave the site until we are able to account for everyone in the building,” Hamzat said.
The Deputy Governor disclosed that the collapsed structure had been sealed off by the State Government last June because of low structural integrity test and demanded the anomaly be corrected before the construction could be allowed to go on.
Hamzat said the project manager was being expected to report back to the Government on details of the correction before the incident.
The Deputy Governor assured the public that the full investigation ordered by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would yield an outcome that would lead to the next line of action.
Hamzat, in company of Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries, visited the Lagos Island General Hospital to see victims being treated.