7th July, 2011
The owner of the four-storey building that collapsed at Idumota yesterday, killing scores of occupants and injuring over 33 others, ignored the warning of the Lagos State Government to evacuate occupants of the building three years ago.
The government made this known yesterday while reacting to the tragic incident.
The government said the building had been identified as distressed since three years ago.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, stated that the building in question was an existing one and not under construction.
“It is one of the structurally distressed buildings identified to be about 2007 and 2008. Persuasive demolition was recommended so that occupants could carefully evacuate their possessions. Some owners of such building had complied while others ignored the warning,†he said.
Also, the lawmaker representing Lagos Island Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Hakeem Masha has commiserated with the victims of the collapsed building at 4, Mogaji Lane, Idumota, Lagos Island, Southwest Nigeria.
Masha said the loss of lives in the incident was unfortunate and a calamity to the people of the constituency which he represents at the Assembly.
The lawmaker said the state government through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development was doing its possible best to forestall a similar tragedy while urging those with defective structures to report such to the appropriate quarters through the concerned ministry for necessary action.
Officials of the Lagos Fire and Safety Services, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, the Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS were deployed to the scene for rescue mission yesterday.