By Job Osazuwa and Lukman Olabiyi

The dust raised by the collapse of a 21-storey building at Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos on November 1, is yet to settle as the death toll continues to rise.

More persons were also luckily rescued even after being trapped for almost 24 hours under the debris.

As rescue and search efforts at the scene of the ill-fated building, entered day two, the number of persons rescued alive have increased to nine while 19 dead bodies have been recovered from the rubble.

While the bodies have been deposited at the mortuary, the survivors were rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
Disclosing the casualties and survivors, the Coordinator of Lagos Territorial Office of National Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said that rescue operation was still ongoing as at 5.45pm. 

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, who was at the scene at about 12 noon yesterday, while, briefing journalists on update of the rescue operation, confirmed that two out of the survivors have been discharged from the hospital.

Hamzat stated that the state government was hopeful that more people would be found alive, urging onlookers around the incident site to allow responders do their work effectively and unhindered..

The deputy governor dispelled the rumour that the initial approval for the building was a 15-storey, revealing that what the government approved was actually twenty-one.

According to him, the construction site had earlier been sealed in July till November, to allow for structural adjustment by the developer, stating that there are always procedures to be followed in demolishing a property for non-compliance.

As part of investigating the remote and immediate causes of the incident, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has suspended indefinitely the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki.

In a statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, revealed that the state government was setting up an independent panel to probe the incident.

“Members of the panel will be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and other professional bodies.

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“It will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence. The investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government.

“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the government will surely find out what went wrong and punish those indicted.

As learnt, the building construction has been ongoing in the last two years, with tens of people working on the site day and night.

It was gathered that there some persons were using the ground floor of the building to hold meeting as at the time it went down. They unknown number were all trapped in the ill-fated building.

As the handlers of the project as well as the regulatory agencies are being accused of not adhering to standard and proper quality control, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered a probe of the incident.  

Also, the Lagos State Bricklayer Association of Nigeria, has called for inclusion of its members in the independent panel to be set up by the state government, to probe the collapsed building.

Speaking to journalists at the scene of the incident, the president of the association, Oyebamiji Taye Dauda, said his members were ready to assist government to unravel the misery behind the incident.

He said that many factors could the cause of the building collapse but only an investigation conducted by professionals and experts in different fields could affirm actual cause of the incident.

Dauda implored building contractors to always use indigenous artisans who understand soil component of different location in the country, in order to avert disaster.