Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has named the members of the panel of inquiry set up by the government to probe the building collapse in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Addressing reporters, family members, and sympathisers when he visited the site on Wednesday, he stated that the panel comprised five members and a secretary.
“I have set up a high-powered commission of inquiry consisting of five members who are top professionals in the country,” the governor said.
“Members of the panel include President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners of Nigeria, Tayo Ayinde; a foremost structural engineer, Akintilo Idris Adeleke; a partner with a leading architectural firm, Yinka Ogundairo; a foremost builder in the country, Godfrey O. Godfrey, and a lawyer and property expert, Mrs Bunmi Ibrahim.
“The secretary of the panel is a lawyer, Ekundayo Onajobi.”
The governor visited the scene alongside other top government officials, including the deputy governor of the state, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.
He condoled with the family members of the victims of the disaster and assured them that the government was making effort to get to the root cause of the incident.
Sanwo-Olu, who wondered why there was no manifest of those in the building before it collapsed, stated that rescue efforts were ongoing.
“I commend the first responders that have been here working to see how they can bring out as many survivors as possible.
“It’s been a very difficult journey for all of them and we will continue to ensure that whatever needs to be done, to get to the root cause of this, will be done,” the governor added.
He revealed that he would sign an executive order to give legal backing to the panel set up to investigate the cause of the collapse.
The members, according to him, are experts who have no relationship with the government and are drawn from various professional bodies.
Noting that the panel would be given about a month to conclude its assignment, Sanwo-Olu stated that the government would punish anyone found culpable.
