Nigeria Real Estate Hub Latest news in Nigeria real estate, commercial real estate and investment advice
A witness before the Lagos Coroner court, Mr. Joseph Folayan, on Wednesday picked holes in the report presented by the Lagos State Material Testing Agency, LSMTA, which asserted that the collapsed guest house within the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, was caused by foundation defect.
Testifying before the coroner judge, Mr. Oyetade Komolafe, Folayan disclosed that from investigation carried out it was revealed that the soil under the foundation of the collapsed building did not fail.
Earlier in its evidence, the LSMTA had claimed in its Structural Integrity Test on the six-storey building that it collapsed as a result of a defective foundation.
The site of the collapsed building at the Synagogue Church, Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos.
However, Folayan, who was led in evidence by SCOAN’s counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, maintained that the soil under the foundation of the collapsed building did not fail.
He described the report as assumptions based on his 45 years’ experience as a geo-technical engineer.
“As a practicing geo-technical engineer with over 45 years’ experience, it is my view that the soil under those foundation did not fail. The pad used in the construction did not constitute a failure.”
He told the coroner that it is only COREN that can legally and bound to regulate the activities of any engineering practitioner in Nigeria.
Before the end of the proceeding, the coroner admitted some documents tendered by the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoye Ayinde as exhibits.
These included the approval plan for the main auditorium of the church as well as a general survey of the entire complex.
Synagogue counsel, Ojo, however, objected to their admission arguing that they were not of the collapsed building thus irrelevant to the inquest.
According to him, SCOAN’s position has always been that it was processing permit for the building when the unfortunate incident occurred.
However, the coroner, Mr. Oyetade Komolafe, held that the documents should be admitted as Exhibits 035 to 040, while adjourning the matter till April 8, 2015.