By Williams Amofokhai
The Lagos State Government has suspended the General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA), Ms Adenike Adekanbi over Dr. Vwaere Diaso’s death in a crashed elevator.
Diaso had died last week when the elevator she was in crashed at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island.
The state government released the report of its initial investigation into the tragic incident, which indicted the facility managers and LASIAMA.
The report released by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Olumide Sogunle on Sunday, said based on initial findings, the government has sacked and blacklisted the Facility Managers.
He stated that the General Manager of LASIAMA, Adekanbi is to immediately proceed on suspension while the operations and line of reporting of the facility managers had been restructured to involve the hospital management directly.
Sogunle added that government had handed the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they were found culpable, saying that the police would also investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent.
He said engineers were working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time, adding that all its staff are fully insured.
“We have informed our life insurance providers about this incident. The Lagos Safety Commission has been directed to immediately carry out an audit of all elevators in public offices. This is besides the usual safety arrangements that have always existed,” he said.
Sogunle stated that following the incident, the government immediately set up a panel to look into its likely causes, identify persons who might be culpable, and suggest ways of preventing any future occurrence.
He also said the government, in recognition of the importance of providing functional and comfortable accommodation for health workers, outsourced the management of the House Officers Quarters to a facility management company.
“The Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA) oversees the activities of the facility management company,” he said.
