One week after the collapse of a seven-storey building in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State, the cause of the collapse remains unknown.

Development Diaries reports that the building, which was under construction, came down in the evening of Wednesday, 12 April, with construction workers trapped inside.

‘I was on the seventh floor when It happened. I was taping the floor when I heard a deafening noise. One side of the building collapsed first. I just said God, you didn’t tell me I will die this way or this was how I will end my life’, Punch quoted Dike Ikenna, one of the bricklayers who survived the disaster, as saying.

‘One of my colleagues was with me. We were struggling to get out of the building. But we could not jump, we could not run out. I was only shouting Jesus. I found myself on the ground. But nothing hit me. I was covered in dust’.

No fewer than 217 deaths have been reported in 10 major building collapse incidents in the state in the last nine years.

The Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (LSMPPUD) informed Nigerians last week that it had begun an investigation into the cause of the collapse.

But seven days on, there is no update from the ministry, and many Nigerians are wondering why is it so difficult for the authorities to ascertain the exact cause of this collapse.

The LSMPPUD, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and other bodies involved have a duty to provide an update on the cause of the collapse.

The Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), which is responsible for issuing building permits, should also inform Nigerians whether a permit was issued for the building to be erected.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) has noted that the collapse brought to questioning the continuous recalcitrance of building contractors to adhere to extant regulatory prescriptions concerning public buildings in the country.

Development Diaries urges the Lagos State government to accelerate the investigation into the cause of the building collapse and urgently inform the public of its findings.

We also call for a more efficient planning approval and enforcement process to be propagated to help reduce or prevent incidents of building collapse.

Photo source: The Guardian