Ikoyi building collapse: Lagos govt begins demolition of remaining structures

The Lagos State Government has taken over the land on which a 21-storey building collapsed in November.

The skyscrappers, according to the state government have failed integrity tests, prompting a controlled deconstruction to bring them down.

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This development, Daily Trust learnt, is part of the recommendations of a six-man panel that investigated the collapse of the structure owned by Messrs Fourscore Heights.

The 21-floor structure situated at 44 B,C,D Gerrard Road in Ikoyi, Lagos had on November 1, 2021 collapsed, killing the owner, Mr. Femi Osibona, and 44 others.

Following the unfortunate incident, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inaugurated a six-man panel to among other things determine the causes of the collapse; determine whether there was full compliance with the physical planning, building materials testing, laws and regulations in the State by the developer or by any other person as well as to determine whether there was any supervisory, oversight or enforcement lapses on the part of any of the relevant regulatory authorities in the State.

The panel had also recommended criminal prosecution of the developer for contravening the State’s building codes.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, told newsmen that a structural engineering firm, Edge of Design, will dismantle the twin 14-storey and eight-storey structures on the site in a manner that will not pose any health or environmental hazards to residents in the neighbourhood.

According to him, the deconstruction is expected to be completed within 90 days and would be supervised by relevant agencies of Government and private stakeholders in the built industry.

He made known that the exercise was agreed upon after extensive consultations with stakeholders, residents and regulators in the built industry; reiterating that safety will be the main consideration in the deconstruction exercise.

Omotoso further assured residents in the neighbourhood of their safety throughout the exercise, noting that measures had been put in place to ensure that the contractor maintains the agreed safety protocols.

“The recommendations of the panel are being implemented to prevent this kind of incident,” Omotoso said.

Representative of the contractor, Edge of Design, Mr. Olujimi Lewu, explained that the work would be done without any injury or fatality; illustrating how the slabs would be removed, until the structures come down.

On why the state government took over the land, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako quoted ‘Section 74 of the Urban and Regional Planning and Development Laws of Lagos State 2019 (as amended)’ which prescribes that any property that collapses in the State is automatically forfeited to the Government.

Salako said the state government is yet to decide on what to do with the site after the deconstruction.