The six-man tribunal set up by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to investigate the 21-storey building which collapsed on November 1 in Ikoyi submitted its report on Wednesday.
The panel said in the report that the collapse occurred as a result of the erosion of professional ethics and due diligence.
Chairman of the panel Toyin Ayinde in a statement said the body took several measures, including visiting the home of the late developer of the building Femi Osibona, to ascertain the cause of the collapse.
He further said that building collapse is rooted in the fall of values, morals and ethics as a nation.
His statement read, “To execute this assignment successfully, the tribunal visited the project site for a general assessment; coordinated activities of the consultants who conducted tests on the site; received and reviewed documents from relevant MDAs; conducted 35 interview sessions; interrogated 91 persons; requested and received a total of 21 memoranda; and accessed the home of the late C.E.O. of Fourscore Heights Limited, Mr. Olufemi Osibona, with a view to gathering any other useful/relevant information to support the tribunal’s fact-finding mission.
“The tribunal further received submissions from professional associations, groups and individuals that helped in formulating the recommendations proposed.
“The tribunal had the opportunity to access the home of the late CEO of Fourscore Heights Limited, in the presence of members of his family, where some documents that were scanned helped in gaining further insights into the case, particularly the processes that led to the construction and eventual collapse.”
Ayinde added that the panel also hosted a representation of the developer’s company comprising two legal firms.
“It is on record that in their first and second appearances, the lawyers had expressed the fact that they were external lawyers to the company and had little knowledge about the case in hand.
“We were, however, later to receive a request from the same lawyers (five weeks after the collapse) to make an independent investigation in view of a suggestion, to them only, of possible sabotage.
“The tribunal was of the opinion that pursuing such a course was equal to mocking all of those who lost their lives in the collapsed building, and for which there had been no closure yet. The lawyers were advised to seek permission from the state authorities,” he said.
No less than 44 persons died in the collapsed building.
