LAGOS – Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said elders in Lagos state will not allow Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu sweep the investigation of the 21-storey building that collapsed on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi last week under the carpet.
The yet to be completed skyscraper owned by Fourscore Heights Limited collapsed on November 1, killing 43 people, including Femi Osibona, the firm’s managing director, his friend, Wale Bob-Oseni, and personal assistant, Oyinye Enekwe. Several others were also injured.
Speaking in an interview with DAILY INDEPENDENT, George who said his house in Ikoyi was badly shaken when the building collapsed lamented the proliferation of skyscrapers in Ikoyi which according to him was not so during the colonial days.
According to him, the land where the skyscrapers was built was the former office of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL). He said Nigerians must know who sold the land to the developer.
He said the result of the investigation by the Lagos state government must be made public and anyone found wanting must be prosecuted.
He said “To me, when the British were here and were living in Ikoyi, hardly can you find any house that is more than two, three storey building. This is because the whole of this Ikoyi was just sandfilled. Suddenly, now you find every areas 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 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 him approval for 15 storey building but the Deputy Governor now came and said they gave them approval for 21 storey”.
“There must be 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”.