Lagos Begins Demolition of Three Structures on Ikoyi Building Collapse Site
Lagos State government yesterday disclosed that it was set to deconstruct the three uncompleted high-rise structures on the site of a 21-storey building that collapsed at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, last November.
It revealed that the structures have failed integrity tests, prompting the State Government to embark on a controlled deconstruction to bring them down.
According to the state government, a structural engineering firm, Edge of Design, would dismantle the twin 14-storey and eight-storey structures on the site in a manner that would not pose any health or environmental hazards to residents in the neighbourhood.
The deconstruction, which was expected to be completed within 90 days, “is to be supervised by relevant agencies of the government and private stakeholders in the built industry.”
The development, it was learnt was part of the recommendations by a sixman panel that investigated the collapse of the 21-storey structure owned by Messrs Fourscore Heights.
The land on which the failed structures sit had been forfeited to the state government by law. The panel also recommended criminal prosecution of the developer for contravening the State’s building codes.
No fewer than 45 persons, who were mainly construction workers and vendors, died in the incident. Also, the developer, Mr. Femi Osibona, had died in the collapsed building.
Representative of the contractor, Edge of Design, Mr. Olujimi Lewu, explained the step-by-step process to be employed in bringing down the structures, that the work would be done without any injury or fatality. He illustrated how the slabs would be removed, until the structures come down.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, at a media press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Government Secretariat in Alausa, said safety would be the main consideration in the deconstruction.
He said the press conference was in the spirit of transparency for which the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Oku administration is famous.
He stressed that the deconstruction was agreed upon after extensive consultations with stakeholders, residents and regulators in the built industry.
The Commissioner assured residents in the neighbourhood of their safety throughout the exercise, noting that measures had been put in place to ensure that the contractor maintains the agreed safety protocols.
“The deconstruction will be done with one key focus from all stakeholders; this is safety of people in the neighbourhood and everybody that will be working on the site. The recommendations of the panel are being implemented to prevent this kind of incident,” Omotoso said.