Bennett Oghifo
3 April 2008
Lagos — A South African company, Wreckers will, next week, commence controlled demolition of the collapsed Bank of Industry (BOI) building on Lagos Island just as some professionals have advised Governor Babatunde Fashola consider a second opinion.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Fransisco Abosede who informed THISDAY of the planned demolition yesterday said it would begin on Monday and would take 10 weeks to complete with the actual demolition taking between five and six weeks and, leaving the remaining period for clean up.
The process, he said, would serve as a learning platform for Nigerians to understudy the foreign demolition strategy. He said measurements have been taken and work would start on schedule.
However, a group of professionals said no other company was contacted to present proposals to undertake the job and that this was against the spirit of due process.
They said the main contractor, Hitech Construction that contacted Wreckers should have taken proposals from other companies instead of unilaterally calling on Wreckers to do the job.
Another company being proposed is CDI, which they said demolished the remains of the World Trade Centre in New York, USA, after the terror attack.
"CDI has more competence and is licensed to blast outside the US unlike some other companies and Hitech's Managing Director knows it is the only company authorised to blast in Lebanon". They advised Governor Fashola to revisit the matter and allow CDI to make its presentation since it will be in the interest of the state to get it done properly.
Chairman of the advisory committee raised by the Lagos State Government on the matter, Engineer Pinheiro, said there was need to approach the task with caution considering that this was not a typical demolition project. "It has to be done level by level and not through implosion as is usually the case". On calls for a second opinion, he said there was need to get the best people to handle the job, because any mistake could affect the integrity of other buildings within the perimeters of the BOI building.
He said when Governor Fashola inspected the site last September, Wreckers promised to do a simulation of how the building would be brought down but that since then they have not returned with the simulation.
Abosede, however, said a team from Wreckers came last week to take measurements that would enable them prepare the simulations.The BOI located on Broad Street, suffered partial collapse in 2006 after a fire incident, which was worsened by heavy rain in the early hours of the morning.
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