Lagos Collapsed Building: President Buhari Blows Hot, Says Offenders Will Be Punished

President Muhammadu Buhari says those responsible for professional negligence with regard to building collapse “will feel the full wrath of the law.”

The President was speaking against the backdrop of recent incidents of building collapse in the state of Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

Speaking when the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors visited him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Buhari said:“The recent tragic incidents in Lagos and many others across the country, remind us of the need to strictly adhere to quality standards when it comes to construction projects.

“Young, innocent lives must never be lost due to incompetence and greed. Simply put, no corners must be cut.“l want to assure you that those responsible for such incidents of professional negligence will feel the full wrath of the law.”

He also said,“As a government, we remain focused and committed to ensuring that we create an inclusive and diversified economy. This simply means national growth must impact on the silent majority.

“This is why in the past three years, we focused on key job-creating sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure development.“You will all recall that our agriculture and infrastructure programmes contributed to our exit from recession. This is a clear example of how, if we push inclusive’ job-creating policies, growth will follow.”

Twenty people, including children, were killed on 13 March when a four-storey building housing a nursery and primary school collapsed on Lagos Island. Another building, a three-storey structure, went down on the same Lagos Island on 25 March.

But, according to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), no one was trapped in the rubble of the latest collapse.