FG, Lagos govt trade words over Banana Island building collapse

The Federal Government and the Lagos State Government are trading words over the recent collapse of a seven-storey building at Banana Island in the state. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos had on Saturday blamed the Federal Ministry of Works and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) for allegedly granting an extension of the line of […]

The Federal Government and the Lagos State Government are trading words over the recent collapse of a seven-storey building at Banana Island in the state.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos had on Saturday blamed the Federal Ministry of Works and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) for allegedly granting an extension of the line of Banana Island, saying that both federal agencies gave approval for the extension without the state government’s knowledge.

The governor made this accusation when he led a delegation of government officials for an on-the-spot assessment of the site of the collapsed house.

Recall that one person was killed and seven others rescued when an uncompleted seven-storey building collapsed in the Banana Island area of Ikoyi on April 12, 2023.

• All set as Alhaji Lawal Sani Stores is turnbaned Turakin Katsina today
• Motorists decry state of Abuja-Kaduna highway despite promises

But in a swift reaction to the allegations yesterday, NIWA said approval for the construction of a building was granted by the state government and not within the purview of any federal agencies.

NIWA in a statement signed by its General Manager (Corporate Affairs), Jibril Dardau, said the report carried a distorted account of what transpired over the collapsed building.

Dardau said in the publication, the Lagos State Governor was quoted to have accused the Federal Government Agencies, particularly the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) of being culpable in the incident of building collapse on the highbrow Banana Island, and that the governor also described officials of NIWA to be reckless in the manner they issue permits without regard to the topography of the area.

He said information contained in the publication is false, baseless and a misrepresentation of the issues that led to the collapse of the building, with intent of misleading members of the public regarding what had actually happened.