ikoyi collapsed building)
*Developer got approval for 15 floors, raised building to 20
Muritala Ayinla
The General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki has said that the agency would commence investigation into the reason why a 20-storey building collapsed in Ikoyi on Monday.
However, a top officer of the agency, who craved anonymity, blamed the building collapse on the failure of the building owner to comply with the approved plan.
According to him,the owner got approval for 15 floors but decided to increase the floors to 20 without the permission of the building agency.
The source added that when the enforcement team visited the site of the building before the unfortunate incident, they were harrased and chased away.
The LASBCA source added that ill-fated building’s foundation could not withstand the weight of the added structure, especially with the addition of five extra floors.
He added that the iron rods used were inadequate for the structure, saying that what was used were 12mm instead of 25mm.
“We could see 12mm rods were used. The building contractor did not involve LASBCA in the early stages of construction but instead chased and harassed our officials with guns.
“The approval given was for a 15-floor structure but they took it to 20 without any letter of authorisation from LASBCA.The enforcement team had visited the site but were chased and harrased with security personnel carrying guns.
“LASBCA is working to tackle such cases with the rebranded certificate of completion and fitness for habitation,” the source said.
So far four bodies have been recovered while search and rescue operations are still ongoing.
However, there are unconfirmed reports that the owner of the building, Mr. Olufemi Osibona, was present when the building went down and is yet to be found.
