Nigeria has a penchant for appearing on the world stage for the wrong reasons and once again, the country added to that record recently with the Ikoyi building collapse of November 2, 2021.
The collapse of the high-rise structure is unarguably one of many disasters that have rocked Nigeria in recent times. This goes to certify the statement that living in Nigeria passes as one thousand ways to die.
The structure, which crumbled exactly a week ago, trapped no less than 50 persons, including the guilty owners of the structure and several innocent persons. It would take a great miracle for anyone trapped in the rubbles of that structure to make it out alive today. This means that we can conclude one thing- everyone who was not saved as of the third day of the search and rescue operation is as good as dead. Dead for nothing.
This sad event exposes all and sundry to what the Nigerian society represents- everyone is in a race; a race to eternally escape poverty by whatever means necessary. It doesn’t matter if it is at the expense of the lives of hundreds of persons. Almost every Nigerian, if given the chance, would cut corners. The reason some have not committed such acts is because they have not found such an opportunity.
Femi Osibona, the CEO of Fourscore Homes and late owner of the now-crumbled 21-storey structure on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi Lagos, according to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was given clearance to erect a 15-storey building but he went ahead to add six more floors.
According to reports, the foundation of the building was not healthy enough to hold a 15-storey structure let alone 21-storey. This made one of the companies contracted for the project- Prowess Engineering Limited to withdraw its services from the building in 2020 over poor execution of the project.
Also, Osibona, who many say was a poster boy for the project, was said to have engaged men of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in a fierce physical confrontation as they attempted to seal the structure over a disregard for lawful practices.
The late real estate agent, who is popular for being religious and connected to some of Nigeria’s popular preachers, failed to listen to the ‘word of the Lord’ as experts advised him. But as the popular saying goes, “A stubborn fly that refuses to listen to advice, follows the corpse to the grave.” Osibona refused to listen to experts’ advice but it is painful that the corpses he followed to his own grave are those of innocent persons, most of them, hustling for their daily 2k.
Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that the late Osibona, whose body was found buried in the rubbles of his own handiwork, had already sold units of the yet-to-be-completed structure for over one million dollars to interested parties.
It was gathered that one of his clients was a popular monarch, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi. Both men were even pictured together during an assessment visit on the site.
Other ‘powerful’ Nigerians in Abuja and other high places have been fingered to be connected with the ownership of the Ikoyi high-rise structure, however, as expected, they all denied being connected to the property. Even Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, issued a statement, disconnecting himself from the ownership of the structure.
At this point, it is not out of order to agree with popular opinions that Nigeria is a crime syndicate where many Nigerians have criminal tendencies. If this statement was untrue, then Nigerian dailies will not be filled up with wealthy individuals having one court case or the other because of fraudulent practices. The wealthiest Nigerian man you know, today (name withheld) would be in prison if Nigeria had a working system where the judiciary is not handicapped.
Even politicians now carry out daylight robbery because the system permits it. The ongoing 2022 budget presentation at the National Assembly is a clear example. Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, recently sought N5.2 billion on the maintenance of an undisclosed number of electrical and mechanical installations in 2022. If this is not outrageous, then what should it be termed?
To this end, as a people, Nigerians must change their orientation about life and understand that cutting corners is not always the best. As you merry after carrying out a criminal act, someone else is wailing over their loss.
There are many Femi Osinbonas out there and it is only a matter of time, your building will come down, crashing heavily on you and no amount of search and rescue effort will save you.
Always remember, change begins with you.
