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Lagos Assembly seeks compensation for families of Ikoyi collapsed building victims

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The Lagos House of Assembly on Monday urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to compensate families of the victims of the collapsed 21-storey building in the Ikoyi area of the state.

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

At the plenary, the lawmakers also urged the governor to direct relevant agencies to ensure strict compliance with all requirements for buildings, as stipulated in the extant laws of the state.

They made the call after adopting the resolution of a member of the House from Mushin 1 Constituency, Nurein Akinsanya.

Akinsanya, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, expressed concern over the incessant building collapse in the state.

He said: “The House expresses worries over the wide speculations that the building was raised to 21 floors, contrary to the 15 floors approved by the State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) for the owner.

“This House is also worried that over time, the state has recorded series of building collapse, like the five-storey building that collapsed in Lekki in November 2006 and the three-storey building that collapsed in Ita Faaji, Lagos Island, in 2016, among others.

READ ALSO: Ikoyi collapsed building death toll reaches 44

“The House is disturbed about the manner in which the agencies set up to inspect building works, gives certifications at various stages of construction.

“Therefore, we have realised that these frequent cases of building collapse are attributed to unqualified or unskilled builders, use of sub-standard building materials, illegal conversion or alterations to existing structures and lack of maintenance, to mention a few.”

In his submission, Rotimi Olowo (Shomolu I) implored his colleagues to support the motion.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, described the incident as a national disaster.

He said: “We should exercise patience before passing comment. We should wait until the committee looking into it unravels the cause.

“The agencies saddled with the responsibility have not done well. We ought to act as a House to oversight the situation.

“The status of the investors should be checked, and we should commiserate with the families of those who lost their lives.

“Government should also compensate the families. If the agencies had done the needful, we would not have this sad occurrence.”

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