Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has directed the indefinite suspension of the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki.
This is coming on the heels of the rescue of nine persons who have been rushed to the hospital for treatment. 14 persons have been brought out dead as at 2pm on Tuesday.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho revealed this in a statement made available to newsmen.
The Commissioner stated that the Lagos State Government is setting up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi. Members of the panel he said, will be drawn from the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and other professional bodies.
Omotosho said the panel will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence. The investigation he said, is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government.
Omotosho revealed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the government will surely find out what went wrong and punish those indicted, just as more equipment and personnel have been deployed in the site to save more lives.
Meanwhile, he Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, was today at the site to encourage rescuers and comfort relations of those trapped in the rubble. Dr. Hamzat left the site for the Lagos Island General Hospital to see the survivors.
