OBSERVATIONS AT THE SCENE OF THE BUILDING COLLAPSE AT DAGARA STREET OFF APATIRA
STREET , ITAFAJI AREA,LAGOS-Building Collapse Prevention Guild (Lagos Island Cell)
• The collapsed building must have been standing for over 10 years. I learnt it was renovated last year with an addition of pent floor. A private nursery and primary school was occupying the 3rd floor and the pent floor while there were shops on the
ground floor.
• As a built industry professional and a “son of the soil”; born and brought up on Bamgbose street, I am very familiar with the Itafaji area. The area is locally known as Oko-faji district; one of the four (4) historical districts on Lagos Island (Eko). Others are; Isale-Eko, Olowogbowo districts and the Brazilian quarters.
• The location of the collapsed building is well known to me and it saddens me that young lives were been sniffed out right underneathmy nose.
• The Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG, Lagos Island Cell) efforts were been impeded majorly because of the political influence of the locality. Hence, our efforts in the past could not prevent this gory incident from happening.
• There are several similar buildings that are marked already and the efforts of the authorities concerned was seems to have been constantly frustrated. The government started demolishing marked distressed buildings in 2017-2018 on Lagos Island but the move was not sustained. I personally monitored the demolition on Aroloya and Bamgbose streets during that brief intervention operation. However, I think the government could not sustain the political resistance generated and today we
are seeing the consequences of the action and/or inaction of the system.
• While the remote and direct causes of the collapse can only be provided by a full technical investigation, there are many more (inhabited) distressed buildings already identified and marked (for demolition?) littering the Island across all the 4 districts. One just needs to take a drive or walk around the Island to observe more examples. Untrained persons can also see the distress signs on such buildings all around. These are apparent disasters waiting to happen again, if no urgent
proactive and undiluted efforts are taken.
• On-site observations and our opinions:
– There was presence of men of several government and non-governmental agencies at the site.
– The Nigerian Police force, The Nigerian Army, NEMA, LASEMA, FRSC, fire fighters, local government officials, LSNC, and the public health team. Others include the NSE, NIOB (Lagos State Chapter), BCPG Lagos Island cell members.
– The EKEDC team was on ground monitoring and a host of others willing to help with the rescue operation. However, the efforts were hampered by the locals (who actually got there in good time ahead of the various government rescue teams).
– Yes, the effort of the locals was vital and was the reason for the large numbers of survivals that might be recorded at the end of the rescue operations. In fact, they were the first responders and must be acknowledged.
– However, the huge crowd on site was also impeding the effective use of the mechanical plants and machinery for the rescue operation. The people wont just move!
– The LASEMA and NEMA really needs to improve their operations delivery protocol to include proper crowd management of relatives, onlookers and wailers. I hope the efforts would really pay off by saving life(s) rather than counting casualties and victims.
– Government agencies in charge of monitoring of building development (especially on the Island) should rise up to the challenges. Corruption and collusion remains a key problem!
– The technical/professional heads of all relevant building regulation and production agencies should be less politically motivated and more transparently selected on merits.
– Local government and LCDA`s should be encouraged to have emergency team/equipment by LEGISLATION. They are closer to the sites of all events and should be better prepared for such.
– Government should resume the immediate demolition of all distressed buildings on the Island.
– Casualty already includes the school owner who was recued alive but passed on at the hospital.
courtesy: Building Control Protection Guild committee
