November 16, (THEWILL) – A former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, Chief Olabode George, has called on the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to ensure the panel investigating the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Avenue in Ikoyi, Lagos conducts its sitting in the open for fairness and probity.
Addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, George said the panel sitting in the open will ensure fairness and probity .
George said, “The Gerrard disaster was avoidable only if the tools of power had been sincere, honest and discerning in their obligations to the Lagosian people. But greed, indifference and deliberate complicity contributed to the tragedy.
“It is not enough to set up just any panel to probe the needless tragedy. We need comprehensive answers to all that appear presently veiled. The guilty must never be spared the full weight of the law. In this wise, there is a need for a full competent team of technical and judicial officers to unravel this disaster.
“The panel must conduct its sittings in an open, unfettered forum to ensure probity and fairness. The panel must be truly independent with the powers to subpoena anyone no matter the position the person occupies in the society”
George further said the panel must not only be seen to be just and fair in its deliberations, “it must show a total resolve on equity and justice. It must be composed of people of legendary excellence and high integrity”.
He said he strongly believes that to unravel the truth and ensure the innocent do not perish in vain, possible lines of enquiries that must be followed include the fact that the land upon which the collapsed building was erected belonged to NITEL.
“Who bought this land? If the land was resold, who is the final beneficiary? If the Fourscore management was given approval for an 8-storey structure, who changed it to 15 and then to 21? Who are the structural engineers? Which engineers conducted the soil test? What kind of foundation was the structure erected upon? Is it shallow foundation or strip footing, raft or mat footing?
Is it a deep foundation that will involve piling and drift shaft? What kind of experts were assembled for this project? Who ordered the sealing up of the building earlier? And who ordered its reopening and why?
“These and more are the issues that must be probed vigorously by a Technical Committee of builders, engineers, architects and jurists of impeccable distinctions. The six-man committee hurriedly set up by the Lagos state government does not fit the billing. It is at best a gestural, patch up, calm them down affair. It will not work. It lacks the necessary tools of effectiveness that will bring answers to the festering questions that disturb us all.
“This is one disaster too many. It cannot be swept under the carpet. Those who compromised their offices and abetted this monumental loss of lives must face the full wrath of the law no matter their positions. It is only then that some kind of sanity will be brought to bear on the damaged profile of our increasingly distorted environment and that the innocent who perished in the tragic incident would not have died in vain.”
He also said there is the need to establish the structural integrity of the two subsisting storey buildings to avoid another disaster.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
