By Chris Oji and Steve Agbota
A five-storey building under construction collapsed in Apapa, Lagos State, yesterday. This is coming a few days after a seven-storey building collapsed in the Banana Island area of the state.
Daily Sun gathered that the five-storey building collapsed after a thunder strike orchestrated by heavy rainfall. It was further gathered that officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) had sealed the five-storey building, which was on 45, Ladipo Oluwole Street, in the GRA Apapa area of the state.
However, a volunteer with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) in Ajeromi Ifelodun LCDA, Asimiyu Tiamiyu, who was among the early callers at the scene, said no casualty was recorded in the incident.
He said all the workers at the site of the collapsed building had embarked on Sallah break, which was why no one was involved in the incident. He, however, advised that the state government should beam a search light on recurring incidents of building collapse, which has claimed many lives and property worth billions of naira destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government, yesterday, said the developer at the collapsed building ignored the ‘stop work and seal up orders’ of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and continued construction behind the scene.
The Deputy Director, Public Affairs, LASBCA, Mukaila Sanusi, in a statement, yesterday, said: “The collapse incident, which was flagged on the physical planning incident management platform on Sunday evening, triggered immediate preliminary enquiries that showed that officers of the States Building Control Agency had issued a number of contravention notices, stop work and seal up orders, which the developer ignored and carried on construction without any recourse, whatsoever, to the authorities.
“There has been no report of any casualty, while the site has been cordoned off and taken over by LASBCA. This particular incident, like similar others, reinforces governments repeated calls for responsible behaviour on the part of all stakeholders in the built environment. The Lagos State Government has immediately activated inquiries into the collapse to unravel the minute details and guide appropriate actions.”
However, NEMA, in a statement by Ibrahim Falinloye, noted:
“This is a report of a partial collapse of a three floors structure at the above mentioned address. The collapse of the frontal area of the second floor occurred early this morning, April 23, 2023.
The property has been served the CN, STW & seal up notices accordingly.
“We observed that this is an ongoing construction with a Provisional Development Permit of a two floor structure. No authorisation and building was staged by LASBCA. Construction is at third floor roof level with block work completed {additional floor as against the two floors approved.There was no casualty recorded on site as of the time of filing this report, and that the site is sealed and cordoned off.”