Osinbajo: I’ve no stake in collapsed Ikoyi building — all my assets have been declared

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has denied the report that he owns the land upon which the collapsed 21-storey building was built.

The high-rise building along Gerard Road in Ikoyi axis of Lagos collapsed on Monday afternoon with many people trapped in the rubble.

There is still no official figure of how many people were in the building when the structure caved in.

After the collapse, the structural integrity and the approval for the 21-storey building became a subject of public scrutiny.

Reacting to the incident, Gbolahan Oki, the suspended general manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) said the owner of the collapsed building got approval to construct only 15 floors.

But Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos, contradicted Oki, saying 21 floors were approved for the collapsed building.

On Thursday, an online news platform reported that Osinbajo bought the land in which the collapsed building was built from Michael Ade Ojo, founder of Elizade Motors.

Reacting to the report, the vice-president, in a statement by Laolu Akande, his media aide, on Friday, said there was no time he bought any land from Ade Ojo or anyone else.

The vice-president said he has publicly declared all his assets, adding that he never acted to influence any regulatory body on the collapsed building.

Osinbajo said he had referred the publication to his lawyers for legal action.

“Let it be made absolutely clear that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo does not own and has never owned the said land,” the statement reads.

“He has also never been involved, in any shape or form, in the development of this or any other land since he became vice-president.

“At no time whatsoever did the VP buy this or any other piece of land from Chief Michael Ade Ojo, or entered into any transaction for the sale of that land or any other piece of land from Chief Ade Ojo or anyone for that matter.

“All property and assets owned by the vice-president have been publicly declared.

”Also, the vice-president has never spoken to the Governor of Lagos State or any other official of the state government regarding the unsealing of the said building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, which subsequently collapsed.

“The vice-president restates categorically that he has no interest whatsoever, and has never had any interest, either legally or beneficially, in the land, the building or development.

“The vice-president has referred this disgraceful publication to his lawyers for prompt legal action.”

Earlier, the founder of Elizade Motors, in a statement, said he did not sell any land to the vice-president at anytime, adding that he owns a property next to the building in question.

On Thursday evening, the body of Femi Osibona, owner of Fourscore Homes and developer of the collapsed building, was recovered from the rubble.