Yemisi Dada
The Lagos State government has appealed to residents to comply with all building regulations in the state to ensure that building collapse becomes a thing of the past
This appeal followed an increase in the death toll at the site of the building collapse at Ota-Ona in Ikorodu area of Lagos to three.
Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, made the appeal when he paid on the site visit to the area to assess the impact of the collapse on adjoining buildings.
While noting that ten people were rescued alive, Dr Oke-Osanyintolu sympathized with the families of those who died in the building collapse, noting that the Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu’s administration has put in so much investment in ensuring safety of lives and property of all residents in the state saying safety issue is the collective responsibility of all.
“Government is doing it best with purchase of sophisticated equipment and building the capacity of emergency responders but residents are not cooperating with the government in-to-to, as they still cut corners which is why buildings continue to collapse in the state”
The LASEMA PS assured that an integrity test would be conducted on adjoining buildings which the collapse has affected noting that any building which fails the test will be pulled down.
“All the buildings next to the site, we will conduct integrity test on them and issue certificates for habitation if it pass but if it fails, it will be pulled down”
Eyewitnesses said the building which collapsed was constructed on an old foundation, which should have been demolished and a new one erected.