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Sanwo-Olu inaugurates panel to probe Ikoyi building collapse

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Lagos State Governor, Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, inaugurated a six-man independent panel set up by the state government to probe the immediate cause of the collapse of a 21-storey building in the Ikoyi area of the state.

At least 38 bodies had been recovered from the rubble of the building that came down on Monday afternoon along Gerard Road in Ikoyi.

The panel is expected to submit its report in 30 days.

The panel is headed by the President of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr. Toyin Ayinde, while a lawyer, Ekundayo Onajobi, is the secretary.

Other members of the panel are – a structural engineer, Dr. Akintilo Idris Adeleke, an architect, Yinka Ogundairo, representative of Institute of Builders, Mr. Godfrey O. Godfrey, and Mrs. Bunmi Ibrahim.

The panel is expected to ascertain whether there was a compromise of the building codes by the developer, his contractor, and statutory regulatory agencies.

The state’s Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folasade Jaji, and other members of the state executive council were also at the event.

Sanwo-Olu, who addressed the team during the inauguration ceremony held at Five Cowries Terminal, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) headquarters in Falomo, Lagos, charged them to discharge their duties with the highest professionalism in the interest of the citizens.

READ ALSO: IKOYI BUILDING: Sanwo-Olu declares three-day mourning, flags to fly at half-mast

He implored the panel to be fair in their recommendations and pledged government support in the discharge of their duties.

The governor said: “The inauguration of this panel shows sincerely that the State Government is interested in unravelling and getting to the root cause of what happened to the building, so that everyone concerned, including the Government, will learn from the very unfortunate incident.

“Lagosians and the world will be watching and waiting keenly, with the full expectation that the immediate and remote causes of this tragedy will be uncovered.

“What this tribunal will be doing over the course of the next few weeks will have important implications for building safety and for emergency response, not just in Lagos, but in the entire country. It will also go a long way towards ensuring that the families of the innocent victims of this avoidable tragedy experience some sort of closure and get justice.

“Life is something that we need to continue to cherish. We can’t lose it in the shortest time even beyond our expectations.”

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