Ikoyi Building Collapse: We warned about imminent collapse – Prowess Company

By Rasaq Adebayo

…Experts blame LASBCA for failure to stop construction

Experts have put blame on the door step of the agency responsible for building construction control in Lagos state over the Ikoyi building collapse on Monday for its negligence.

A construction company, Prowess Engineering Company that was initially handling the project claimed in a letter that has gone viral on the social media that it had earlier warned the owner about its deviation from building engineering standards, necessitating it decision to withdraw from the project since early last year.

In the viral letter dated February, 2020, the company voluntarily withdrew its services over integrity issues relating to the entire construction.

The letter being circulated on social media is titled, ‘Re: Proposed Gerrard Terraces For Fourscore Limited,’ was signed by the company’s managing director, Muritala Olawale.

In the letter, the company claimed it withdrew its services on grounds that it ‘no longer shared the same vision with its client’ believed to be Fourscore Heights Limited as stated in the letter.

Prowess Engineering Limited, which had constructed two other buildings for its client, said it couldn’t guarantee the integrity of the third (collapsed building) from anything above the fourth floor.

It read: “This letter is to formally inform you of the withdrawal of our structural consultancy service from the above named project. We arrived at this decision due to the fact that we no longer share the same vision with you as our client in terms of how the project is being executed.”

“We can guarantee the integrity of the first two buildings and also work done up to the fourth floor of the third building supervised by us provided specifications have been met in terms of the required concrete strength. This we do not have control over as we do not have the concrete cube test results of each stage of the building till date. Also, note that we are not taking responsibility for any other construction errors that may have occurred overtime on the project.”

“Furthermore, we request that our company’s name and logo be removed from the project board and also kindly notify all necessary approving authorities of our withdrawal from the project.”

“We regret this decision and the lost opportunity to do business together. We look forward to future cooperation in other projects.”

Going by the content of the letter, people have continued to blame the building and urban regulatory agency established by the state government for failing to effectively discharge its duties.

A Construction Engineer, Olasumbo Taofeek, said the agency failed to carry out integrity test on the building when it reportedly stopped construction on it last year.

He said the agency ought to have “stopped the project completely had it done the necessary integrity tests before sanctioning continuation of the project.”

Adebari Olaleye, a Real Estate Developer believes that LASBCA failed in the discharge of its duties of especially averting building collapse by not ensuring adherence to approved building standards since “since a salient part of LASBCA statutory requirements is the submission of design that must be approved before commencement of any structure in Lagos.”

A Lagosian also blamed the Lagos State House of Assembly committee on physical and urban planning for failing in its conduct of oversight function on the regulatory agency.

He states that “if the House Committee on Physical and Urban Planning had carried out proper oversight function on the agency and buildings under construction across the state, this latest incident may perhaps have been prevented.”

Meanwhile, the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, said the owner of the collapsed 21-storey building in Ikoyi was given approval to construct only 15 floors.

Oki told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that the owner of the property has been arrested and would face the law because people have died in the disaster.

“He got an approval for a 15-storey building and he exceeded his limit. I am on ground here and the materials he used are so inferior and terrible.”

“The materials he used, the reinforcement, are so terrible. He got approval for 15 floors but built 21.

“I think he has been locked down. He has been arrested before now,” he said.

However, people asked why the agency did not take action when the building was exceeding the approval level.

Comments by members of the public reacting to Prowess Engineering Company’s letter on social media gathered by The Liberation News are presented below:

“This company resigned as Structural Engineers to the project last year. There is hope for Nigeria. We still have Nigerians who have integrity….”

“Well said… but the only thing that can clear the Structural Engineers is to provide the acknowledged copies of Letters of Withdrawal from necessary Government Agencies. Or may be it was written to be submitted and they later changed their minds as there was not even acknowledged stamp or receiver signature on behalf of the client.”

“Hmmm… I’d like to ask…as a “Consultant” to the “Client”, is it really their duty to pursue the receipt of such letters from the government.

“I would like to think they were hired directly by the client, and seeing that the Client was no longer following their “expert” advice, they chose to withdraw, and in their withdrawal letter, intelligently requested that the Client informs “all necessary approving authorities” of their withdrawal from the project.”

“In my opinion, the letter was well-written, with sufficient technical details that necessitated their withdrawal; and exonerates them from any legal tussle that may arise.”

“Yes, it was but shouldn’t the letter bear or bore client acknowledging the letter to indicate who and when it was received by the client.”