Lagos: Sanwo-Olu yet to visit Oniru days after building collapse killed 6

Lagos: Sanwo-Olu yet to visit Oniru days after building collapse killed 6

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is yet to visit the building collapse site in the Oniru area.A seven-storey building under construction caved in on Sunday, September 4, amid rain showers after the August break.The tragedy occurred around 3 a.m. on Oba Idowu Abiodun Oniru Road, meters away from Ave Maria Hospital, near Palace Road.Two bodies were recovered the same day; an additional four were pulled out during search and rescue on Monday.Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the deaths.As of 12 noon on Thursday, the governor was yet to visit the scene, Oniru residents informed newsmen in separate interactions.Our correspondent noticed a neighbouring one-storey building, which was affected by the collapse, being renovated.One of the workers on site told our correspondent that the Lagos government directed the immediate repair and is footing the bill.“The governor never come since that day. But I hear say him deputy (Femi Hamzat) come on Monday”, a domestic staff said.This negates Sanwo-Olu’s near-daily presence at No. 44 Gerrard Road in Ikoyi after the collapse in November 2021.A coroner’s inquest into the tragedy implicated the Lagos government for failing to thoroughly enforce its laws.Lagos Building Control Agency (LASBCA) General Manager, Gbolahan Oki was recalled by Sanwo-Olu weeks after suspension over the incident.The LASBCA revealed that officials sent to the Ikoyi structure faced hostility and were chased by the developer, Femi Osibona, who also died.The same situation was cited by Idris Salako, who resigned as Commissioner for Physical Planning on Monday.“Several times, LASBCA officers visited this site…the contractor has been using his personal security to stop them.“The developer has been dropping names any time our officers visit; we sealed the site three times and he kept breaking the seal,” he said on Sunday.Salako also blamed the victims, mostly labourers, for their fate: “What were those trapped doing on-site that time?” he quipped.Sanwo-Olu replaced him on Wednesday with Tayo Bamgbose-Martins, in what is expected to be a major rejig of the ministry.Until now, the engineer and former Permanent Secretary, was the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations.Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos, Olajide Adediran, has called for Sanwo-Olu’s resignation over recurring building collapse.

Source: Lagos: Sanwo-Olu yet to visit Oniru days after building collapse killed 6

 - NigerianEye

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