Mohammed Momoh
Abuja, November 11, 2021:
As indications emerged that the collapsed 21-storey building in Lagos was not insured, more bodies have been recovered, bringing the number to 45, including that of the developer, Mr Femi Osibona.
The Lagos state commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, on Thursday issued the latest development on the rescue efforts and reported that the identification of bodies has continued.
He said that 32 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.
”A committee to supervise the identification and release of the bodies has begun work. It comprises senior officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice,” he said.
He said that the Panel of Inquiry instituted to establish issues surrounding the collapse of the building had continued to sit.
The high-rise block of luxury flats under construction at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, collapsed on Nov. 1, 2021 after the developer resisted attempts to stop the work in 2020 because the construction lacked due process.
Aside ignoring the 15-storey approval for the building, Mr Osibona, the deceased developer of the 21-storey building, is reported to have also ignored a directive by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LAPPPA, to insure the structure.
Lagos state government had sealed off the building in June 2021 also for failing to meet structural requirements and demanded the anomaly corrected before construction could proceed, state deputy governor Obafemi Hamzat said in a statement.
Also the developer defied the law on insurance cover for buildings that are above two floors.
According to the development permit no-DCB/DO/2442IV, dated 09/04/2019, the developer was duly directed by the Lagos State government to insure the construction risks of the building.
“A developer of any building above two floors shall insure his/her liability in respect of construction risks and submit a Certified True Copy, CTC, of such insurance policy certification with his/her development permit to Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA.”
“Non-compliance with the approved planning permit as designed will void the permit, and the development will be regarded as illegal.”
But late Osibona refused to insure the building.
The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Sunday Thomas, said: “Owners of public buildings must desist from the act of constructing high-rise buildings without the regulatory building insurance coverage. Building without building insurance coverage means violation of the insurance law.”
The Director-General of Nigeria Insurers Association, NIA, Mrs Yetunde Ilori also said that all the stakeholders in the construction industry should take appropriate steps to ensure compliance with the extant laws to stop the needless loss of life and property.
“The Insurance Act 2003, in its Section 64(1) states that no person shall construct any building of more than two floors without insuring with a registered insurer his liability in respect of construction risks caused by his negligence or the negligence of his servants, agents or consultants which may result in bodily injury or loss of life to or damage to property of any workman on the site or of any member of the public.
“This is not the time for blame game but sober reflection and a call to action. Those who are vested with the power to enforce the laws of the land owe it a duty to ensure that laws are obeyed.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly has adopted a motion calling on the state to compensate the families of those that died in the accident.
The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the sitting, described the incident as an unfortunate development given the loss of lives that occurred following the incident.
“We should exercise patience before passing comments concerning the incident until the findings of the committees looking into it unravel the cause.
“It is obvious that the agencies saddled with the responsibility of monitoring buildings and constructions have not done much,’’ he said.
