Fashola Calls for Patience on Synagogue Building Collapse Investigation
Governor Babatunde Fashola
of Lagos State on Monday said the government would follow due process
in the investigation of the September 12th building collapse at the
Synagogue Church of Nations, Ikotun, near Lagos.
Fashola made the statement while receiving members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners in Ikeja.
He said the government would not yield
to pressure from some Nigerians, who wanted immediate action on the
incident but would act methodically on the issue.
Fashola said most of the pronouncements
made on the incident did not reflect what actually happened and called
on people to stop making comments that could confuse the situation.
“On this issue, we are going to act
methodically. We are going to act in a civilized manner. This is what we
discussed at the State Executive Council today.
“We are not going to, without evidence,
say this person has done wrong. Investigations are always
painstaking
and are done through scientific processes.
“This is the way that every civilized
society develops. And we must assume that all the necessary provisions
of law will be complied with. That is our track record here and nothing
less will happen in this case,” he said.
Fashola described NITP as the state’s
partner in progress and said his administration would continue to work
with the association in ending the menace of building collapse in the
state.
Steve Onu, NITP National President, commended Fashola for his many interventionist strides in the state.
He said the association would continue
to partner with the state in the area of infrastructural planning and
environmental development.
On the Synagogue building collapse, Onu
urged the state government to ensure that a thorough investigation was
carried out to unearth the culprits of the disaster.
“This is a good opportunity at getting
insight into the incidence of building collapse and know whether it
happened by technical or natural occurrence,” he said.