The Pain, the Controversy and the Remand

Occupants of the sprawling Lekki Gardens have been urged not to panic, following the collapse of a 5 storey building under construction that killed 34 persons, report Bennett Oghifo and

Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited, the owners of Lekki Gardens, the high-profile estate where an ongoing construction project failed, have resolved to perform integrity test on all their buildings to ensure they are fit for habitation, once the dust clears. The company is also seeking the public’s assistance in its bid to identify the victims of the collapsed building, whom they claim were not their staff.

They are also alarmed and embarrassed by the reaction of the police that promptly put their Chief Executive Officer in handcuffs like a common criminal, regardless of the fact that he voluntarily went to the station.

The company, as is done in the construction industry, hired a contractor that set up his team of engineers and other building sector professionals. So, in situations like this, it is the contractor that should bear the brunt and not the owner of the project who hired the contractor.

People are wondering why the police acted so fast to put handcuffs on the CEO when they did not do the same to Pastor TB Joshua when the guest house building at the Church of All Nations collapsed last year. Also, nobody was put in cuffs when a block of flats in Jakande estate collapsed last year.

Why, for instance, did the government not hold a Coroner’s inquest like that of the Synagogue disaster, which claimed over 100 lives? Why the rush to remand the owner of the project, who is not a contractor, for 30 days.

Besides, competent sources revealed that the victims were squatters who left their shanties during the heavy down pour that morning to take shelter in the uncompleted building where work had been suspended for a while now. According to available information, the police are having a difficulty identifying the victims of the collapsed building, who are believed to be mainly illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries.

Unfortunately for the owners of the property, the information being released appear to be deliberately skewed against them to give an impression that workers were on site when the building collapsed.

Lekki Worldwide Estate Limited/ Lekki Gardens Estate, in a statement last night, signed by Steve Agbiboa, commiserated “with the families of all who lost their lives on Tuesday March 8, 2016 as a result of the unfortunate incident that took place at one of our residential estate projects in Lekki, which is still under construction. The building collapsed at about 4am in the morning.

“We regret the loss of lives as a result of this incident and are making every effort to provide adequate medical care and attention to the survivors. We are also contacting the next of kin of the bereaved.

“Lekki Gardens Estate is working in collaboration with all the appropriate authorities and will not leave any stone unturned, to find out the exact cause of this incident. We would like to seize this opportunity to earnestly commend the timely intervention of the Lagos State Emergency Authority (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Red Cross, National Emergency Agency (NEMA), the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA).”

The statement described Lekki Gardens Estate as “a reputable organisation that is very conscious and mindful of safety. To date, we have constructed over 6000 housing units across the country.

“As is our current practice, we will ensure full compliance with all applicable safety standards and procedures. We are fully committed to putting in place all necessary measures and procedures to forestall a repeat of this unfortunate incident. Every life is important to us.”

The time was 5.56pm on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. At that time, the sun was about to set in the South.

The rescue workers at the site of the collapsed five-storey building belonging to Lekki Garden, at Chisco Bus stop, opposite Oando Filling Station, at the Ikate area of Lekki, Lagos, were all tired and hungry after 14 hours of laborious work trying to excavate and rescue construction workers and their families who were buried under the rubble of the collapsed structure. As at 5pm, they had already rescued 12 people and recovered 18 bodies.

Suddenly, the excavating machines stopped and in the silence that ensued, a voice was heard calling for help. It was the voice of 27-year-old Tunde Busari calling for help. It was a miracle. He was buried under the rubble for over 14 hours and, as fate would have it, he was the last person to be brought out alive.

He was quickly rushed to the standby ambulance belonging to the Lagos State Government where he was given initial firstaid treatment whilst they ran a quick check on him. After he was sedated, the 27-year-old welder from Ibadan, was diagnosed with spinal cord injuries.

Still lucid, albeit weak, he gave THISDAY an insight into what happened. According to him, they were all sleeping when the building collapsed on them. He said, “I was buried under the collapsed building. I almost gave up hope but I kept hearing the sound of the machine and I knew they have not forgotten me. I don’t know what else to say. It’s God that saved my life because I was on the ground floor.”

According to him, when they noticed that the building was faulty three months ago, they drew the attention of the engineer, simply identified as Taiwo, to the bent beams. He said the engineer had fixed the bent beams by double piling it and they had gone back to work without further hassles until the building collapsed.

Like Busari, scores of other survivors of the collapse, were brought out from the rubble, some with minor bruises and others with major ones, necessitating their movement to the hospital. One of those rescued was Hassan, an indigene of Kaduna State, who was heard shouting ‘God is Great’ when he was finally dug out.

One of the survivors, Frank Ogoli, an iron bender, said, “We usually sleep outside but that day, we all went inside because it rained heavily. We sleep in the building because they hardly pay us.”

One of the survivors, who was simply identified as Femi said, “They are still owing me for the job I did for them. When I came to