Collapsed Synagogue building had insuffiicient foundation – Witness
A civil engineer, Dr. Olusegun
Oyenuga, told a Lagos State High Court
in Ikeja on Friday that the six-story
building of the Synagogue Church Of
All Nations which collapsed on
September 12, 2014, did not have
sufficient foundation.
Oyenuga, a former President of the
Nigerian Institute of Structural
Engineers, also said it is possible that
the construction of the collapsed
building was not supervised by any
structural engineer as none came
forward to defend the project during
investigation.
Oyenuga appeared on Friday as the
first prosecution witness before
Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo where the
Registered Trustees of the SCOAN are
being tried for erecting a building
without obtaining the approval of the
Lagos State government.
The two engineers who built the
collapsed building, Oladele Ogundeji
and Akinbela Fatiregun, are also being
tried alongside their companies,
Hardrock Construction and Engineering
Company and Jandy Trust Limited, on
110 counts of involuntary
manslaughter over the death of the
116 persons that perished in the
collapsed building.
The defendants had upon their
arraignment on April 19, 2016 pleaded
not guilty to the 111 counts pressed
against them by the Lagos State
Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
The DPP opened its case on Friday by
fielding Oyenuga as its first witness.
Led in evidence by the Lagos State
Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs.
Idowu Alakija, Oyenuga, who is a
registered member of the Council of
Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria,
told the court that the foundation upon
which the collapsed building was
erected was insufficient.
He said, “Our findings revealed that the
super structure was undersized in
terms of the reinforcement of the
beams and columns.
“The foundation was also not adequate
but it may not have been the cause of
the collapse.
“On the bearing capacity of the soil,
the maximum bearing capacity should
be 800, and what should be ideally
used for construction is 330 but the
church used 550.
“This may have been responsible for
the collapse.”
Oyenuga claimed that the documents
supplied by the church to the COREN
committee that investigated the
collapse were not of help to the
committee.
He added that no structural engineer
came forward to say that they
participated in the construction of the
failed building.
Justice Lawal-Akapo adjourned till
June 20, 21 and 22 for continuation of
trial.
Oyenuga, told a Lagos State High Court
in Ikeja on Friday that the six-story
building of the Synagogue Church Of
All Nations which collapsed on
September 12, 2014, did not have
sufficient foundation.
Oyenuga, a former President of the
Nigerian Institute of Structural
Engineers, also said it is possible that
the construction of the collapsed
building was not supervised by any
structural engineer as none came
forward to defend the project during
investigation.
Oyenuga appeared on Friday as the
first prosecution witness before
Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo where the
Registered Trustees of the SCOAN are
being tried for erecting a building
without obtaining the approval of the
Lagos State government.
The two engineers who built the
collapsed building, Oladele Ogundeji
and Akinbela Fatiregun, are also being
tried alongside their companies,
Hardrock Construction and Engineering
Company and Jandy Trust Limited, on
110 counts of involuntary
manslaughter over the death of the
116 persons that perished in the
collapsed building.
The defendants had upon their
arraignment on April 19, 2016 pleaded
not guilty to the 111 counts pressed
against them by the Lagos State
Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
The DPP opened its case on Friday by
fielding Oyenuga as its first witness.
Led in evidence by the Lagos State
Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs.
Idowu Alakija, Oyenuga, who is a
registered member of the Council of
Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria,
told the court that the foundation upon
which the collapsed building was
erected was insufficient.
He said, “Our findings revealed that the
super structure was undersized in
terms of the reinforcement of the
beams and columns.
“The foundation was also not adequate
but it may not have been the cause of
the collapse.
“On the bearing capacity of the soil,
the maximum bearing capacity should
be 800, and what should be ideally
used for construction is 330 but the
church used 550.
“This may have been responsible for
the collapse.”
Oyenuga claimed that the documents
supplied by the church to the COREN
committee that investigated the
collapse were not of help to the
committee.
He added that no structural engineer
came forward to say that they
participated in the construction of the
failed building.
Justice Lawal-Akapo adjourned till
June 20, 21 and 22 for continuation of
trial.
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