CHARTERED Urban and Regional Planner Francisco Abosede yesterday called for the conduct of integrity test on multi-level structures around the 21-storey building that collapsed on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Twenty-four bodies have been recovered and nine persons rescued by emergency rescue workers as of last night.
Abosede, who was Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning, said the use of substandard materials and lack of quality control may have caused the collapse of the building.
He spoke from London, United Kingdom (UK).
Calling for proper audit of buildings in the area, the former commissioner said the texture of the soil needed to be tested to know the impact of the incident on other buildings.
Abosede, who urged the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL) to swing into action, observed that lack of insurance for the building during construction may have led to improper monitoring.
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According to him, the insuring firms would have visited the site with their own professionals to ensure that the construction followed laid down rules and regulations.
He advocated the use of professionals in construction, warning developers and contractors to stop compromising officials of regulatory agencies.
Abosede dismissed the views that Ikoyi could not withstand such a high-rise building.
He gave examples of similar buildings in the area with 27 and over 30 floors.
“We have capable professionals that have done it in the past and we still have those who would build high-rise buildings without any issue. There are reputable engineers in the country,” Abosede said.
He called for the prosecution of those found culpable in the collapsed Ikoyi building, lamenting the inability to punish those complicit in the past building collapses.