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After Building Collapses, Prelate Calls for Monitoring of Nigeria’s Construction Industry

Credit: Courtesy Photo

Following the collapse of a 21-storey building that reportedly killed at least 44 people in Lagos city, a Catholic Archbishop has called for the close monitoring of those involved in Nigeria’s construction industry in view of ending unprofessionalism, including the use of inferior materials.

In a November 6 report, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins described incidents of the storey-building that collapsed November 1, leading to deaths in Nigeria’s Lagos State, as “alarming”.

Such monitoring, Archbishop Adewale said, will further eliminate what he referred to as unprofessional practices often associated with the practitioners of the industry.

Making reference to the recent incident, the Nigerian Archbishop said that the unfortunate incident and other similar cases could have been avoided if there were proper regulations and strict monitoring by the relevant supervisory authorities.

The Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Lagos Archdiocese further called on the regulatory agencies to “reject the culture of compromise on standards which ultimately undermines the integrity of buildings and results in avoidable death and injury.”

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He lauded the decision by the Nigerian government to use professionals from outside the government in the investigation of the collapse incident, terming it as a move that is expected to eventually inspire confidence.

“We hope that as the panel unravels the immediate and remote causes of the collapse, it would also identify ways of ensuring that we do not experience such disasters again while those culpable for this one would be brought to book,” Archbishop Adewale said.

Expressing his condolences to the families of those who perished in the 21-storey building and his sympathies with all those who sustained various degrees of injuries, the Archbishop welcomed the idea of a three-day mourning period.

He said, in reference to the mourning period, “It will make us reflect on the value of human life so that no one will engage in practices and activities that would jeopardize human life and dignity anymore.”

“Happy repose of the souls of the dead, quick recovery for the injured and consolation for the families and friends who are in mourning at this time,” Archbishop Adewale condoled.

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Media reports indicate that the death toll rose to 44 and about 15 people were successfully rescued by Monday, November 8, as rescue and recovery operations at the scene of the Ikoyi collapsed building reached 99 percent.

The body of the owner of Fourscore Homes, the company in charge of the building, Femi Osibona, was reportedly recovered from the collapsed building on November 5.

Media reports further indicate that the collapse of the 21-storey high-end apartment block, which also killed scores of construction workers and laborers, has fueled anger and a renewed focus on potentially deadly malpractices and alleged corruption within Lagos’s booming property development industry.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.