The consultant engineer, Mr. Oladele Ogundeji, who supervised the construction of the collapsed six-storey guesthouse belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), yesterday, told the Coroner’s Inquest investigating the incident that the collapse was not due to structural defects.
Ogundeji, a structural building engineer also told the inquest presided over by Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe that the foundation of the collapsed guesthouse was built to standard with 28 columns.

The Lagos State Government inaugurated the Coroner’s inquest under the state Coroner’s System Law No.7 of 2007 to investigate the cause and circumstances resulting in the death of 166 people following the building collapse and bring its findings and recommendations to the appropriate authorities.

The witness, who was led in evidence by SCOAN's counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, also confirmed to the court that he supervised Hardrock Construction and Engineering Ltd, the firm, which handled the project.

According to Ogundeji, the direction and the speed of the fall of the building were not consistent with structural failure.

He said a soil test was conducted by a geo-technical engineer, which informed the design used for the building.

He explained that the building was constructed in two phases beginning from July 2008 and was completed in September 2013.

"I will not agree that the collapse was caused by structural defect. If it was a structural defect the collapse will be gradual. There will be cracks visible even to a layman.

"When I watched the CCTV footage, everything came down within four seconds. Speaking sincerely, I believe that it must have been induced scientifically but I don't know the means," he added.

The witness said after the collapse, the Lagos State Material Testing Agency came to the site and took samples of the materials for laboratory test.
He said the concrete, reinforcement and columns all passed the test in the Structural Integrity Report released by the agency.

"According to the drawing and based on the geotechnical reports, the foundations were okay. This project is a technological cause, it can be verified.

"Now, when we were working on site, we did not envisage that something like this would happen but after the collapse, an agency of the state, the Lagos State Material Testing Agency came to the site, they instructed that three bases should be excavated, they took some samples and carried out laboratory tests. They came out with the result; the concrete pad footing passed the test, the re-enforcement passed the test and the columns passed the test. Apart from this, the foundation on site that the six-storey building stood upon are still there, they are intact, no rotation and no tilting," Ogundeji explained.


He also tendered before the court the structural and architectural designs of the collapsed building, which were admitted as exhibit.


The matter was adjourned till March 2 for further hearing.


Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/synagogue-collapsed-building-not-as-a-result-of-structural-defects/202911/