Environment
By Victoria Frances
BUILDING collapse has become a source of worry for Nigerians not just because of the waste of resources, but majorly because of the human casualty involved, which no amount of riches or compensation can bring them back to the loving embrace of their relations. What is more worrisome is who should be held responsible for the negligence of duty that caused the loss of lives. This is horrifyingly so for non-Nigerians, whom Realnews learnt were among those who perished when the multiple-storey building collapsed in Banana Island, Lagos, two weeks ago. There has also been a blame game between the Lagos State government officials and that of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, over who illegally authorised the permit for building the crumbled building.
The sad reality is that the Lagos State government through its agency – Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, precluded any loss of lives in its situation report on the collapsed building under construction at 1st Avenue, Banana Island, Ikoyi. “Information gathered revealed that the building collapsed, as a result of a truck that ran into the building. Fortunately, no loss of life, however, efforts are ongoing to reconstruct the building to ground zero so as to forestall any secondary incident. Recovery operations are ongoing,” LASEMA said in a Facebook post.
Contrary to the LASEMA report, Realnews gathered that the collapsed building, which was being developed by Joe Faraday Limited, established 12 years ago by Joshua Okeowo, 47, is located at 102 Close, Banana Island, Ikoyi. Joshua Okeowo is the younger sibling of local construction giant, owner of Gibraltar Construction Ltd, Clement Oluwatumininu Okeowo, 54.
Realnews gathered that the construction of the collapsed building was on reclaimed land between Parkview Estate and the Banana Island/water channelisation route, which is not part of the original master plan of Banana Island.
Joe Faraday Limited, the developer, allegedly sand-filled the water channelisation to build the three separate high-rise buildings. Realnews was told that the collapsed building was on the 8th floor when it happened. A reliable source, who wishes anonymity, told Realnews that Joe Faraday Limited was casting the 8th floor when the slab collapsed and 5 minutes later the entire building came down. Prior to the total collapse, there was a partial cave-in before the main building crumbled. This explained why people around captured the entire collapse live on video, the source said. (see video below)
Realnews also learnt that a team of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStrucE) led by Oreoluwa Fadayomi, an engineer visited the site on Friday, April 14, 2023, for an on-the-spot assessment of the tragedy. Other members of the NIStrucE, who accompanied Fadayomi were Joe Okolo, and Lukumon Kazeem. Arc. Oki, general manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, Bolaji Ogunlende, special adviser, ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, O.W. Olokunola, Building Collapse Prevention Guild, BCPG representative, and Arc. Sodunke, BCPG representative.
In their preliminary report sighted by Realnews, they recommended that based on their visual inspection, other blocks be immediately cordoned and propped to allow for detailed structural appraisal to be carried out to determine their safety and suitability for use. The NIStrucE recommended a full and detailed structural/forensic investigation be carried out to unravel the cause(s) of the collapse and determine whether anyone was culpable, and the appropriate sanction applied as a deterrent; unmask the project team comprising the design professionals, the supervising team and the contractors; ascertain the adequacy of the structural design; probe the quality of workmanship; confirm the quality of the reinforcement and concrete materials used; establish levels/adequacy of supervision carried out during construction and identify the role played by individuals, professional and government agencies
Notwithstanding the stand of the NIStrucE, the disaster has prompted questions as to why the Banana Island Property Owners & Residents Association, Lagos, BIPORAL, and the Lagos State government authorised construction of such high-rise building on land originally designated as a setback and water channel? Why did the Lagos Building Control Agency, LASBCA, not stop the construction of three high-rise towers that had no planning permit? Why did Banana Island with all its strict regulations allowed the developer to tamper with its original layout?
The answers are difficult to come by. But a likely scenario that played out lies in the fact that one of the journalists who deliberated on the matter opined, “the developer must be one of the big guys in town”, which appears to be above the law. This line of thought props the allegation that the government is not being tough against the developer because the owner belongs to the “high and mighty people” within Banana Island and that the LASG is involved in the sharing of the proposed apartments under construction.
There is also the allegation that the BIPORAL and the Lagos State government may have become blind to the abuse of the master plan of the estate because the developer – Joe Faraday Limited is one of the major donors. This is why the residents of Banana Island, who confided in Realnews insisted that the case must be thoroughly investigated and those involved brought to book instead of the disposition of the government to punish every other developer on the Island because of the actions of Joe Faraday Limited.
This will not be the first high-profile building collapse in Lagos State when the exact punishment meted to those involved remains unknown apart from land seizure with rhetoric promised by government officials to get to the bottom of it which they never do until the nation staggers to another tragedy and the same empty promises are repeated. No one is brought to book, not even the approving authority, who turns a blind eye when the developer goes against the rule. This played out when multiple-storey 360 Degrees Tower collapsed in 2021 developed by Fourscore Homes Limited, Ikoyi in Lagos, Nigeria. The company was headed by the Nigerian developer Femi Osibona, who also perished in the collapsed building.
The silver lining may lie in the report of the NIStructE when it concluded that information gathered from their assessment visit did not provide a sufficient basis for discerning the cause of the collapse, noting that LASEMA in one of its releases attributed the collapse to the pre-mixed truck that ran into a loadbearing column of the building. “A study of the area and the picture revealed that the truck was probably discharging its concrete for the concrete work on the 6th floor. The site is tight and there could have been no room for the truck to have gathered enough momentum for an excessive lateral force. If this was truly the case, it could only confirm an inadequate design and detailing coupled with poor workmanship and construction supervision.
“Flat slab design in reinforced concrete high-rise building structures can be advantageous in terms of flexibility, construction time, and cost savings. However, it is important to consider the limitations and potential drawbacks associated with this design approach to ensure that the building can meet structural and safety requirements. The revelations from the defects observed during our site inspection make one to doubt if these structural and safety requirements were adequately considered in the design and construction of all the blocks.
“The video and the position of the truck seem to imply that the collapse would have started somewhere along the transverse axis of the block C building. This would have involved the vertical elements (columns) and/or the foundation within this zone. Depending on the location and orientation of the column, especially for an edge or a corner column, the force may cause the column to lean or topple over, which can result in a domino effect of collapsing floors and columns as it seemed for this building.
“It is unclear at this stage if the collapse can be attributed to design errors, construction inadequacies, human errors, or a combination of these factors.
“The remaining blocks A, B and D were said to have been of similar structural arrangement and design. These blocks have already shown tell tail signs of being subjected to a thorough structural assessment prior to their continued construction or otherwise.
“There is a need for further detailed structural investigation to be undertaken to provide sufficient information required to unravel the root cause of the collapse and proffer measures to forestall future occurrence.”
Interestingly, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the Lagos State, who expresses his commitment to the safety of the lives and properties of people in Lagos State, visited the site of the collapsed high-rise building on Saturday, April 22, for an on-the-spot assessment. He condemned the illegal activities of developers hiding under agencies of the Federal Government to build illegal structures at Banana Island in the Ikoyi area of the state but fell short of singling out the culprit who must have been well known to him for rebuke.
However, he blamed the tragedy on the reckless operations of some developers, who pretend that the federal government agencies had issued approvals to hoodwink unsuspecting property owners. Sanwo-Olu also said his administration would no longer tolerate the activities of greedy developers, who reclaim land from water illegally in connivance with some government agencies.
Accompanied by Tayo Bamigbose-Martins, commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development. Gbenga Omotoso, commissioner for Information and Strategy; Aramide Adeyoye, special adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure; Gbolahan Oki, general manager, LASBCA; and heads of departments and agencies, the governor said construction of illegal infrastructure in Banana Island was “irresponsible and unacceptable.”
Expressing displeasure against illegal structures on Banana Island, Sanwo-Olu ordered the immediate demolition and sealing of many completed and uncompleted buildings with various building infractions and those that were not granted appropriate approvals for construction by government agencies.
The governor’s order was carried out immediately by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, who immediately marked the affected buildings for demolition.
He said: “A lot of investigation is going on right now, and you can see that they are still clearing the rubble at the site. We have given the order to stop work, not only at this site, but also at all of the construction sites on Banana Island.
“You have all seen the extent of what I will call an unapproved extension into the water. You can see that the original line for Banana Island is not even where we are. It is way in front there, and you can see that several extensions have been granted by both the Federal Ministry of Work and Housing and the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA. These are the two federal agencies that have been culpable for those extensions.
“They have done these extensions even without our knowledge. We have the responsibility for building approvals, and from what I have been told, all four buildings around the collapsed building never applied for approval.
“This is total recklessness on the part of the developers, and we will make a strong point out of this place and all around Banana Island. Any officers found culpable will also be sanctioned,” he said, adding that “it is heartbreaking each time we have to go through this, and it shows sometimes how irresponsible those developers and some of our citizens that just want to make quick money are. And of course, our officers, who are also not aware of their responsibilities.”
According to him, the government has had to change staff here and there to bring forward robust and very strong monitoring officers, adding: “We will continue to do what we need to do to ensure that we keep the lives of our residents safe at all times.”
Reacting, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has given a directive for the suspension of reclamation activities on Banana Island, Lagos, pending an investigation by Lagos State government.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that George Moghalu, NIWA managing director, gave the directive in a statement issued by Jibril Darda’u, the authority’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, in Lokoja on Friday, April 28.
Darda’u said that the halting or suspension of reclamation activities on the island became imperative in view of the recent collapsed storey building and the alleged blame on the authority over the incident.
He said that managing director, who has visited the site of the incident, had also directed the immediate suspension of all reclamation activities within the Island pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The image maker expressed regret over a misleading report that had gone viral and distorted account of what transpired over the collapsed building in Banana Island.
“The authority hereby vehemently dissociates itself from the statements and allegations made against it over the collapsed building in Banana Island as contained in the said publication.
“The information contained in the publication are false, baseless and a misrepresentation of the issues that led to the collapse of the building in Banana Island with intent of misleading members of the public regarding what had actually happened.
“The good news is that Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sawolu, had said that responsibility for building approval rest with the state and specifically stated that some officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) are corrupt,” he said.
He added that with the governor’s statement, building permits “are within the jurisdiction of state governments” and that where such permits are illegally obtained such faults or omission can only be attributed to the state government.
He recalled that a authority was established by NIWA Act CAP N47 LFN 2004 and “there is no provision in the said Act where the authority is mandated by law to issue building permits/approvals and Certificate of Occupancy.”
“The authority has never granted any licence or permit in respect of the site where the collapse occurred.
“The responsibility to inspect every stage of building construction remains that of Lagos State government and its officials and where there are failures in the performance of such duties the blame should not be transferred to the Federal Government, particularly National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
“In the light of the above, the allegations raised against NIWA are short of facts and carry no weight,” he
It is heartening that Governor Sanwo-Olu has set up a seven-man committee to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the building collapse and come up with a robust work plan that can be enforced going forward. The committee has two weeks to complete its job. Pending when it submits its report, whatever recommendations therein cannot bring back those non-foreigners who died in the collapsed building which no one is talking about probably because their families are not in Nigeria and they may never know of the fate that befell them. The hope is that at least the developer, Joe Faraday Limited, its owner, and their collaborators in government should be held accountable to serve as a deterrence to other unscrupulous developers as recommended in the report of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers.
Updated: April 28, 2023 @ 7: 03 GMT |
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Tags: Bolaji Ogunlende Joe Okolo Lukumon Kazeem. Victoria Frances
