the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has submitted a report on its investigation into the collapse of a 21-story building on November 1, 2021 at Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that Tomide Akinnawo, Chief Engineer and Head of COREN’s Lagos Liaison Office, submitted the report while testifying ahead of the investigation.
Praising the report, the coroner, Oyetade Komolafe, said it was detailed.
He requested that two additional copies be produced for investigation.
During the proceedings, Mr. Akinnawo told the coroner that COREN’s investigative panel noted that the project board mounted on the site of the collapsed building concealed vital construction information.
“The contractor did not give an address and phone number.
“It’s inappropriate, the project board hid a lot of sensitive and important information,” he said.
The engineer said it was the responsibility of government oversight agencies to point out the gap when they visited the site.
“The contractor or the client needed to have been sanctioned by the state development control bodies because the information is not detailed on the project dashboard.
“COREN is mandated to visit the sites, and every time we visit the sites, we limit our visit to the coverage area, which is the engineering aspect of that project,” he said.
Mr. Akinnawo said that COREN discovered another structure (Block D) built behind the initial three high-rise structures on the site.
The witness said that the investigation panel was not allowed access to the site until the coroner ordered access.
“When we started working there, we discovered Block D. That Block D was at the back of the other buildings. It was an eight-story building and was intended to serve Blocks A, B and C.
“When we saw Block D, we couldn’t ignore it, we had to include it in our report,” Akinnawo said.
Responding to the coroner on whether the site’s landmass was large enough to accommodate the four structures, Akinnawo said the project’s contractor breached urban planning regulations.
He said the entrance to the site was also inappropriate for the size of the structures.
When questioned by Oluwamayokun David, a lawyer for Beyond Design Ltd., the witness said that in carrying out his duties he had encountered disagreements between contractors and consultants.
“The relationship between contractors and consultants in Nigeria is like a cat and mouse. The contractor will want to take shortcuts that the consultants will not allow.
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“When a contractor continually violates quality control on their project, the consultant’s duty is to write to the client through the project architect.
“If it fails, the consultant will write through the project manager to COREN. If no action is taken, the consultant will resign,” he said.
Akinnawo said he first heard about Fourscore Heights after the building collapsed.
He said COREN was unable to find company personnel to interview during the investigation.
Mr. Komolafe adjourned the investigation until April 29 to continue with the hearing.
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NAN reports that the building collapsed on November 1, 2021, killing 50 people, including Femi Osibona, CEO of Fourscore Heights. (YAYA)