The Lagos State Government has now made public the panel’s findings on what caused the death the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island physician Dr. Vwaere Diaso who was killed in an elevator accident.
In a press release on Sunday night, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olumide Sogunle, stated that the Lagos State Government had already taken some initial actions in response to the panel’s recommendations, including the suspension of the General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency and the firing and blacklisting of the elevator facility managers.
The elevator that crashed, according to Sogunle, was installed brand-new in 2021, dispelling claims that it had been experiencing problems since 2020.
“Elevator experts working with the Lagos Safety Commission have carried out an initial inspection. We will be removing the elevator for further mechanical examination to ascertain why the safety features that should have prevented this kind of accident did not operate,” he said. If we have a claim against the elevator installer, their findings will be decisive.
Speaking about the state’s actions, Sogunle stated, “Based on our preliminary findings, the Lagos State Government has taken the following actions: We have terminated and blacklisted the facility managers; the general manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency is to immediately proceed on suspension.
“We have given the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found to be at fault. The operations and line of reporting of the facility managers have been restructured to involve the hospital management directly. Anyone else who might be careless will also be the subject of a police investigation.
“Engineers are investigating why all of the elevator’s safety features failed at once; all of our staff is covered by insurance,” reads a statement from the company. The Lagos Safety Commission has been ordered to conduct an immediate audit of all elevators in public offices after we informed our life insurance providers about this incident. The usual safety measures that have always been in place are in addition to this. ”.
