Again, two-storey building collapses in Lagos State

• Death toll rises to four in Ilasamaja incident • Architects task on new building code

BARELY three days after a three-storey building collapsed at Ilasamaja area of Lagos State, another twostorey building collapsed on Saturday at Ebute-meta area.

The building, located at Cole Street in Ebute-meta was under renovation when it collapsed during the heavy downpour of at 2:00 p.m. A woman was said to have escaped death as the building caved in. “She was rescued and treated,” a source said.

The National Emergency Management Agency

Arewa condemns calls for Buhari’s resignation

THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has dismissed calls for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari due to his health condition. The Forum said the call for Buhari’s resignation was unconstitutional and misplaced.

Specifically, the ACF said those calling for the resignation of President Buhari because of his health condition are not current with the provisions of the nation’s constitution.

In a statement issued at the weekend by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, the ACF also pointed out that under the prevailing circumstance, there is no vaccum in the Presidency because Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the Acting President and is performing the duties of the President effectively.

The statement read: “President Buhari’s illhealth: (NEMA) spokesman for South-west, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident, saying the building was under renovation.

He said only one person was affected and that the woman was rescued after she sustained injuries, adding that no life was lost.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe, added that the building was under renovation when it collapsed.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Wednesday’s threestorey building collapse at Nigeria is practising a presidential system of government as contained in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“President Buhari has done what is constitutionally required of him to do by his letter to the leadership of the National Assembly. The Vice President is now Acting President, performing the duties of the President.

“In other countries, when the president falls sick or becomes incapacitated while in office, the citizens encourage him through prayers and good wishes, rather than intimidation or calling for his resignation.

“We can draw a lesson from such countries and wish President Buhari well for the progress of our country.

“The call by Aisha Yusuf, coconvener of BBOG, for President Buhari to resign is therefore unnecessary, misplaced and not in tune with the provisions of our Constitution.” Ilasamaja has risen to four. It was gathered that another unidentified body was recovered at the weekend during the post-disaster clearing of the site and had been deposited by the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) at the Mainland Hospital Mortuary.

In another development, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) has urged the Lagos State Government to develop its building code to mitigate incessant cases of building collapse in the state.

The code, the institute said, should include the sourcing and standardisation of building components based on technology transfer from developed and emergent economies.

The NIA’S recommendation was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of Lagos Architects Forum 2017 organised by the Lagos State Chapter of the institute and released to The Guardian yesterday.

In the communiqué signed by Lagos Branch Chairman, Fitzgerald Umah and General Secretary, Samson Akinyosoye, the body noted with dismay the reoccurrence of building collapses in the state despite several efforts.

They stressed the need for an efficient government development control systems for vetting, processing and approval of design drawings.

According to the body, the state government must ensure that well-trained qualified and registered relevant professionals, architects, engineers and planners were deployed for the task.

Besides, the Lagos State Government was also urged to develop a robust data base of her citizens, with a view to determining their real housing needs, empirically and scientifically, as against contrived demands.

The Practice Chairman of the institute in Lagos, Mrs. Ifeoma George-ufot, said government should tighten its rules and do a lot more to check the recurring incident.

She stressed that building collapse was dire to the heart of architects in Lagos because when it happens, it affects theintegrity of professionals in building industry.