Lagos commissioner resigns as building collapse death toll rises to 6

The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, has resigned.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, announced this on Monday in Lagos.

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The reason for his resignation was not made public, but it may not be unconnected with the recurring collapse of buildings in the state.

Since the collapse of a 21-storey building on Gérard Road, Ikoyi, last November, which killed the owner and 44 other people; several other structures have collapsed in the state.

The latest was the seven-storey building under construction on Oba Idowu Oniru Street, Lagos, which collapsed on Sunday morning, killing five people and injuring several others.

An expert, Victor Oyenuga, had blamed the recurring incidents of building collapses on the government’s failure to implement many professional recommendations.

Omotoso, who said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has accepted the resignation, noted that Salako’s exit was a prelude to restructuring the ministry and its agencies.

While thanking Salako for his services to the state, the governor warned all players in the sector to respect the law or face the consequences of any indiscretion, no matter who the perpetrators were.

The Oniru Chieftaincy Family Estate Office yesterday sympathised with the families of victims of the collapsed building, describing the incident as one too many.

The head of the estate office, Prince Olarenwaju Ajasa, admitted that the attendant loss of lives and valuables was avoidable.

Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the death toll in the seven-storey building collapse has risen to six.

Emergency workers recovered two bodies from the site on Sunday and three others earlier on Monday.

Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, South West Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), confirmed the recovery of the sixth corpse.

The remote and immediate causes of the building collapse have yet to be ascertained.

The search and rescue operations are still ongoing.