Ikoyi collapsed building was designed for six floors – (NIStructE), blames ‘structural inadequacy’ for accident

Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers (NIStructE) has claimed that there has been a surge in the request for structural integrity appraisal by property owners and occupiers following the collapse of the 21-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos, penultimate week.

President, FNIStructE, Dr Kehinde Osifala, who made said this while disclosing summary of the findings of the preliminary investigation into the Ikoyi collapsed building, during a press briefing, Monday, revealed that there were ‘seriously inadequate… design brief changes on the project’ which collapsed on November 1, while still under construction, killing well over 40 workers on the site, including the owner of the property.

“There are clear indications of several design brief changes on the project and the engineering and management of these changes appear to have been seriously inadequate.

“The building that collapsed was initially designed for six floors, later 12 floors and further 15 floors. It could not yet be established the adequacy of any properly designed and documented further revision to the eventual 21 floors that was implemented and which collapsed.

“There are also indications that more than two structural engineering design firms worked on the project at different times.

“The preliminary investigation also revealed some evidence of structural inadequacy in the construction and that signs of some structural distress had already started to show within certain elements of the building,” Osifala revealed.

Continuing, Osifala said: “You can’t test a column or a beam and say you have carried out an integrity test.

“That is arrant nonsense. You need integrity appraisal of the building. It can only be done by a professional. You need to get the right professionals to do the right thing and build the right ways. Do not assume it is a small project.”

According to Osifala, the institute’s findings are not meant to jeopardise the outcomes of the more detailed investigations being organised by various professional and regulatory bodies.

It would be recalled that a 21-storey building collapsed, penultimate Monday afternoon, in the Gerard Road area of Ikoyi, Lagos.

The State Government has since announced the ‘immediate and indefinite’ suspension of the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. Gbolahan Oki over his role in the events leading to the accident.

The state government also announced the setting up of an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, as it further informed that members of the panel 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.

The panel will investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence.

“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 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.

“It will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrence. The investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government,” the state government announced.

Meanwhile, a survivor of the Ikoyi building collapse in Lagos, last week, revealed what they were doing at the time the 21-storey building came down on over 40 people in the building on November 1.

“I was working with my colleague. I have been told not to tell anybody. That day, we were working on the first floor, Engineer Kola and Engineer Ola told us there is one pillar on the first floor, the pillar was cracked, the engineers told us to break the pillar so that they could fix another pillar there because the pillar is really big they have confidence that nothing would happen to the pillar if they set another one,” the newspaper quoted him.

“Suddenly we heard a noise, the thing (pillar) started to shake, I and Monday (another labourer) ran when we saw that the pillar was starting to shake. When I was running, I fell down I was struggling to come out.

“When I ran outside, the gateman saw me, he now called a bike man. I ran out before the rescue operatives came in. The owner of the house (Femi Osibona) knows (knew) about the pillar, that it was cracked. He told the two engineers to ask us to break it. He was aware, he saw us, he even gave us money for food (breakfast). He saw us there when we were working on it.”