The National Emergency Management Agency has put the death toll from the building that collapsed at the Synagogue Church of all Nations, Ikotu, Lagos at 60.The spokesperson for the Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this to journalists at the site this morning. He said that so far, 131 people have been rescued alive.
Meanwhile, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria has commenced investigations into the causes of the building collapse at the healing church.
The head of inspectorate and compliance of the organisation, Engr. Bede Obayi, made this known when he led a team to the site to take samples of some of the materials used for the construction.
“We have come here to see exactly what happened, we have watched the clip of what happened, but beyond that we are here to investigate the remote causes of the collapse, to look at the materials and to ask questions about the engineers and contractors that handled the project.
“You can see us taking samples of some of the various materials used, especially the steel materials.
“The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, in 2011, took steps to ensure that all steel products that are manufactured in this country are properly controlled and within the standard specification.
“That we have done and that is why today, we were able to identify all the manufacturers of the steel products used for this construction and that is the first step that can lead to further investigation.
“We cannot say for now. There are lots of questions to be asked. Structures don’t just collapse like that. Our investigation will not be limited to the materials alone. The materials may be right, but the selection and combination maybe wrong. The contractor and engineer who handled the project will have to provide us with vital information.
“For now, it is too early for SON to say what the cause of the collapse is but when we are through, we will brief Nigerians on our findings,” he said.
