REINSTATED LASBCA WORKERS RAISED CONCERN DESPITE BUILDING COLLAPSES

Following their dismissal after the building collapse incident that claimed 34 lives, the officials have been reinstated, the group said.

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has urged Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to investigate the reinstatement of some dismissed staffers of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

The group in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, voiced its concerns, describing the development as unjust.

According to the group, the staffers were previously dismissed following the incident of a collapsed six-storey building within the Lekki Gardens Estate at Ikate Elegushi, Lekki in March 2016.

Tragedy struck on 10 March 2016 when a six-storey building under construction by Lekki Gardens in the Lekki area of the state collapsed which reportedly claimed 34 lives.

The developer was said to have added a floor to the building against what was approved by the government for construction.

Following the incident, the then governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, dismissed Adeigbe Olushola, the general manager of LSBCA.

Mr Ambode also fired Adeoye Adeyemi, the head of inspection and quality control in the agency; and Dosunmu Gbadebo, the zonal district officer in the agency. Sherifat Akinde, the zonal head of Eti-Osa West of LASBCA, was compulsorily retired from the civil service.

The affected officers were dismissed having been indicted of negligence, which according to the governor, is an act of misconduct under the Public Service Rule 040401.

The human rights group expressed shock that these dismissed LASBCA officials have been reinstated into the service and returned to their offices in the face of this indictment, “even though the judicial process remains unresolved.”

“While the organisation acknowledges the judiciary as a distinct arm of the government with decisions that cannot be overturned by the executive, it insists that the government must ensure public confidence is maintained by ensuring those indicted are made to pay for their offences and not allowed to sustain their negligence and compromise against the public interest,” the statement reads.

The accountability group also said that a letter has been sent to the state governor regarding the matter.

“In a letter signed by HEDA’s chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, addressed to Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, titled ‘Unjustified Reinstatement of Dismissed LASBCA Staff Over Building Collapse: Urgent Need to Revisit the Case,’ the human rights group expressed astonishment at the dismissed LASBCA officials’ reabsorption into the service through a judicial process that remains inconclusive,” the statement reads.

“It emphasised that justice should not be compromised, and the continuity of sound government policies must be maintained, as government is a continuum.

Citing an alarming record of over 111 building collapses in Lagos State since the Lekki Gardens incident, resulting in 193 fatalities and 250 injuries, including children, HEDA emphasised the gravity of the issue.

The organisation urged the state government to act without sentiment and to preserve the rule of law while cleansing the system.

“In conclusion, HEDA appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to urgently investigate the reinstatement of the dismissed LASBCA officials, assuming their reinstatement was mandated by a court order.

“The organisation also suggested that, in the interest of equity and justice, the Lagos State Government redeploy these officials to other Ministries, Departments, or Agencies unrelated to building control in the state.”

Gboyega Akosile, the governor’s chief press secretary, did not answer his telephone calls as of press time.