Executive Director of African Bureau for Legislative Empowerment, Wale Bob-Oseni who was on his way to the US on Monday, stopped over at the Ikoyi building site and has ended up under the rubble.
The 21-storey building collapsed on Monday with yet-to-be-identified number of people trapped under the rubble.
The building project was approved by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority as a 15-storey building. But the developer had committed an infraction by making it a 21-storey building.
Sundry media reports said that the owner of Fourscore Homes, Femi Osibona, had invited Bob-Oseni to check out the ongoing development at Gerard Road, Ikoyi.
Bob-Oseni who is also a real estate dealer was on his way to the airport, before stopping by to see the 21-storey building being developed by his friend and associate.
The 21-storey building under construction collapsed with Bob-Oseni and Osibona inside, and both are now presumed dead after 48 hours of rescue efforts.
Former Presidential Candidate and Publisher, Dele Momodu, who was close to both of them, told TheCable on Wednesday that both men were his “aburos” — an affectionate term for younger friends.
Momodu on a phone conversation said, “Wale was on his way to the US… this is so tragic.”
Earlier, a man believed to be Bob-Oseni’s driver was seen crying in a video that went viral some minutes after the collapse.
The driver who was in tears said, “He was heading to America. I want to go and drop him in the airport.”
At the time of filing this report, there is no official figure of the number of persons who were in the building before the incident happened but over 50 persons are said to have been trapped.
Bob-Oseni’s profile on LinkedIn showed that he is the Corporate Affairs Manager of the First Premiere Mortgage. He had a Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy from Howard University in the US.
TheCable had reported that the owner of Fourscore Homes is believed to be trapped in the rubble or in hiding.
As of Wednesday, the rescue operation so far has accounted for 31 people with nine alive and 22 dead.
Meanwhile, Gatekeepers News earlier reported that Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the immediate suspension of the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki. (Report sources: Gatekeepers News/TheCable)
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