Despite having signs of repairs at the General Hospital, Odan in Lagos State, the failed elevator that killed Vwaere Diaso, a medical doctor has remained irreparable till date.
A fact finding report by online investigation carried out by FIJ revealed that the elevator area had been cordoned off with a wooden structure carrying a paper signpost.
The workers who reside in the 10-storey building, where the elevator is stationed, have been using the stairs since August 2023, when the doctor died and the state government sealed the elevator area.
Recall that it’s been eight months and one week since a failed elevator killed Diaso which gathered public attention.
At the hospital, there was a signpost with the Lagos State Government logo and had phrases like “Restricted Area,” “Construction Site,” and “No Unauthorised Access”.
The signpost also had a phone number that showed the name “Lagos Safety Commission” when FIJ searched it on Truecaller, a caller identification app.
Although there was no worker or machinery in sight, close to the entrance of the doctors’ quarters was a big logo of Julius Berger, a leading construction company in Nigeria.
FIJ called the Lagos State Safety Commission, whose number was obtained on the signpost in the elevator area, but the calls were unanswered. A message sent to the commission has also not been responded to.
FIJ also contacted Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, and he inquired about the last time the reporter visited the hospital. When he got a response, he said:
“There is work going on there. When the accident happened, we said we were going to fix not just the elevator but the whole building because there are so many other things to be fixed.”
He also said that the construction was being handled by Julius Berger and added,
“I hope you know it’s not a backyard construction company.”
Aside from the Julius Berger marker, FIJ noticed no indications that the structure was undergoing any ongoing repairs.
FIJ called the Lagos State Safety Commission, whose number was obtained on the signpost in the elevator area, but the calls were unanswered. A message sent to the commission has also not been responded to.
When Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, was contacted, he inquired about the last time the reporter visited the hospital. When he got a response, he said,
“There is work going on there. When the accident happened, we said we were going to fix not just the elevator but the whole building because there are so many other things to be fixed.”
He also said that the construction was being handled by Julius Berger and added,
“I hope you know it’s not a backyard construction company.”
Aside from the Julius Berger marker, FIJ noticed no indications that the structure was undergoing any ongoing repairs.
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