Lifestyle

Lagos elders will insist on investigation of Ikoyi collapsed building – Bode George

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A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, said on Tuesday elders in Lagos State would resist any attempt by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to sweep investigations into the collapsed 21-storey building in the state under the carpet.

George, who disclosed this during a chat with journalists at his residence in the Ikoyi area of the state, said his house was shaken to its foundation when the building collapsed.

He decried the proliferation of skyscrapers in the high-brow area.

According to him, the land where the skyscrapers were built was the former office of the now moribund Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).

The politician insisted that the investigations must reveal to Nigerians who sold the land in the area to developers.

He said: “To me, when the British were here and were living in Ikoyi, hardly could you find any house that was more than two or three-storey building. This was because the whole of this Ikoyi was just sand-filled. Suddenly, now you find every area in Ikoyi with skyscrapers and high-rise buildings.

Apart from structural damage, what about the social amenities that will be available to such properties? If you locate three skyscrapers in that closet there, where will those living there get the amenities needed to support them? Electricity, water, general security, and so on?

“These so-called developers don’t consider all these factors. All they care about is that it is an investment.

“We must find out who is behind these high-rise buildings. We the elders in Lagos will not allow Governor Sanwo-Olu to sweep this under the carpet because it may be the darkest period of his administration.

“The General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Gbolahan Oki, said they gave approval for 15 floors but the Deputy Governor now came and said they gave approval for 21-storey.

“There must be a judicial and technical committee to investigate who owns the land and who is this developer. It is arrant nonsense. My house was badly shaken when the building collapsed. I thought it was an earthquake.”

At least 44 persons were confirmed dead and 15 others rescued from the debris of the high-rise building that collapsed at Gerard Road, Ikoyi, last Monday.

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IKOYI BUILDING: 29 families submit samples as Lagos sets up committee on victims’ identification

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The Lagos State government has set up a committee to supervise the identification and release of bodies of victims of the 21-storey building that collapsed in the Ikoyi area of the state last week.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said members of the committee include senior officials of the state’s Ministries of Health and Justice.

He also revealed that 29 families had submitted samples for DNA at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba, Lagos.

The commissioner stressed that the victims’ bodies would be released to their families from this week.

At least 44 persons were confirmed dead and 15 others rescued from the debris of the high-rise building that collapsed at Gerard Road, Ikoyi, last Monday.

The statement read: “29 families have come forward to submit samples for DNA to identify bodies that they wish to claim. In cases where identification is clear and there are no arguments, the bodies will be released to the families as from this week.

A committee to supervise the identification and release of the bodies has been set up. It comprises senior officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice.

“At the site, the operation continues. It will go on until the site is cleared and nobody is left in the rubble of the collapsed 21-storey edifice.

“The Panel of Inquiry set up by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to find out why the building went down and suggest ways of stopping such incidents has continued its sittings. It is collecting documents that may help unravel the mystery of the collapsed building.”

Lifestyle

Controversy as Ikoyi building owner, Femi Osibona feared dead in collapse

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There are multiple speculations that the owner of the high rise 21-storey building that collapsed in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, Femi Osibona, may have died in the mishap.

According to close sources, Osibona, the MD/CEO of Fourscore Homes, the company that was in charge of developing the high rise on Gerard Road, Ikoyi, was said to be holding a meeting with some potential clients on the eighth floor of the building at the time it came down.

The speculation of Osibona’s death was further fueled when the body of his personal assistant who was in the meeting as well was reportedly discovered from the rubble.

A popular Nigerian journalist, Kemi Olunloyo, also added verve to the death rumour when on Wednesday, she posted on her Facebook page what she claimed to be an authentic account of what happened.

In the post, Olunloyo wrote:

“A source at the #IkoyiBuildingCollapse just notified me that the body of Fourscore Homes MD/CEO Femi Osibona has been recovered & positively identified.

He was reportedly on his way to the 8th floor to show Wale Bob-Oseni something and had finished his meeting.

“Femi called Wale to the site earlier and Bob-Oseni stopped by on his way to catch a US flight.

“Femi was pulled out of the rubble with a steel beam pierced through his neck. He probably bled to death. Wale is still missing. Truly tragic.”
#ikoyibuildingcollapse

However, a call to a family member of the Osibonas in Ojota axis of the state tells a different story as the family is tight-lipped over the speculation that their brother is dead.

The family member who did not want his name mentioned told Ripples Nigeria:

Who told you Femi is dead? Our brother is not dead. Though I will not tell you where he is at the moment, I can tell you he is not dead.

“Those who wish him dead are the ones who will die. They are just jealous of his success and have been doing everything to bring him down. They have succeeded but this will not be the end of his life. He will bounce back stronger,” he said.

Lifestyle

Death toll from Ikoyi building collapse hits 36

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The death toll from the collapsed 21-storey building on Gerrard road in Ikoyi, Lagos has risen to 36.

This was confirmed on Thursday morning by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Speaking with journalists, Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office, NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, said, “So far, 36 people – 33 males and three female — have been confirmed dead, while there were nine survivors.”

Meanwhile, the survivors from the rescue operation include one female and eight males.

The operation to rescue those trapped in the rubble of the 21-storey building which collapsed on Monday afternoon is still ongoing.

Families and friends of people trapped in the rubble have kept vigil at the scene, clinging onto hope and seeking answers, three days after the disaster.

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu put the death toll at 21 when he visited the scene on Wednesday afternoon.

Although the cause of the collapse is yet to be unravelled, the governor said there were obvious violations and “mistakes from all angles” in the tragedy.

He has set up a panel of inquiry into the incident and promised that those found culpable after the investigations by the panel, will be punished.

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