Hardrock Construction and Engineering Ltd., the firm which built the collapsed building belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), has said that construction of the building followed standard procedures.
The Managing Director of the company, Mr Akingbola Fatiregun, said this in Lagos on Thursday while testifying before the coroner’s inquest investigating the cause of the collapse of the six-storey building.
He said the collapse of the structure was baffling to the technical experts because “it was built with the best designs and materials in the world.”
It would be recalled that 116 persons, mostly foreigners, were killed in the incident which occurred on Sept. 12, 2014.
Fatiregun told the court that his firm was awarded the contract in 2008 but the church opted to supply the materials for the construction of the building.
The witness said SCOAN’s founder, Prophet Temitope Joshua, had no direct involvement in the project which was handled by the church building committee.
He said the company worked with a consultant engineer, Mr O.M. Ogundeji, a registered member of the Council of Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), on the project.
“We always ensured that we complied with the architectural and structural designs given to us by the consultant who was always on ground to supervise the project.
“The materials such as sand, cement, quarry and reinforcement steel were supplied by the church and were of top quality.
“We subjected the materials to laboratory tests and also verified their manufacturers, which is our standard practice,” Fatiregun said.
According to him, Hardrock Construction has constructed major projects in Nigeria, Ghana, Niger Republic and the United States since it was established 11 years ago.
He said the construction was divided into two phases, in which the first was to construct the building up to the fourth floor, while the second was to raise it to the sixth floor.
The witness also told the court that though the foundation of the building was meant for a six- storey building, it was constructed to accommodate four additional floors.
According to Fatiregun, the first phase of the building was completed in June 2010, while the second phase ended in September 2013.
According to him, it was, therefore, a huge shock when he received the news that the building had collapsed.
He said when he visited the scene with his technical team, he observed that the pattern of the collapse was inconsistent with structural defect. “Structural failure in construction has a peculiar way but this one was totally different and it beats the imagination of any technical person.
“From my observation, the building came down symmetrically as if it was guided. The fall appeared as if a method of bringing down a building was applied,” he said.
The witness said he observed that the building foundation was still intact during the inspection of the evacuation of the debris from the scene.
He also told the court that Hardrock Construction participated in the rescue operation of the victims by providing personnel and equipment.
However, the witness, while being cross-examined by the Lagos State Government’s counsel, Mr Akingbolan Adeniran, admitted that the collapsed building was not approved by the government.
He also confirmed that his company did not consult the Lagos State Building Control Agency before embarking on the project.
Fatiregun, however, insisted that the absence of building permit was not responsible for the collapse since the proper designs and materials were utilised for its construction. The matter was subsequently adjourned till Feb.27 for further hearing.
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