…summons health authorities, staff
…sets up 8-man c’ttee
…halts taskforce’s demolition in Kosofe
The Lagos State House of Assembly has commenced a probe into the circumstances surrounding the elevator accident that led to the death of a medical doctor, Vwaere Diaso, on Lagos Island with a promise to ensure justice for the deceased.
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The Assembly also held a one-minute silence in memory of the deceased, while sympathising with the family and friends of the late doctor as well as the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA.
Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, however, set up a committee to investigate the accident with a view to preventing future occurrence and ensure justice.
According to Obasa, a proper probe of the incident, which happened recently at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island, was needed to ensure proper management and safety of lives.
The 8-man committee, headed by the Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, include: David Setonji, Lara Oyekan, Olayinka Ajomale, Shabi Adekola, Omolara Olumegbon, Oluwa Akanbi and Olarenwaju Afinni.
The committee was mandated to report their findings to the House within two weeks.
Obasa approved that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital and staff, who had roles in the incident be summoned for clarification.
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He also asked the committee to invite the NMA branch in Lagos Island for conversation.
The Speaker, who described the tragic incident as “unfortunate”, lamented the unimaginable pain the loss of the medical doctor would bring to her immediate family.
“It is saddening to loose such a young promising daughter and there is no convincing explanation we can give to the parents and her colleagues; no amount of explanation can suffice,” Obasa lamented.
The Speaker also appealed to the NMA to resume work, saying government would look into their demands.
NMA had ordered members to embark on indefinite strike in protest over the death of it’s member.
Halts taskforce’s demolition of structures in Kosofe
Meanwhile, the House has ordered the State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit to stop demolition of houses in the Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos with immediate effect.
The decision of the House followed a ‘matter of urgent public importance’ raised by Sanni Okanlawon, who told his colleagues that some policemen stormed the area and demolished buildings.
He said the demolition squad had claimed that only shanties would be affected, lamenting that the team had gone beyond the shanties and have demolished a lot of other buildings.
According to him, “over 300 people have lost buildings, property and sources of livelihood and my finding showed that the Ministry of the Environment and the Police Taskforce headed by one Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Shola Jejeloye are behind the action.”
Obasa, thereafter, directed the Clerk, Barrister Olalekan Onafeko, to write a letter to Jejeloye and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment to stop the demolition.
He also set up a five-man ad-hoc committee including Nureni Akinsanya, Adewale Temitope, Sanni Okanlawon, Femi Saheed and Aro Moshood to investigate the matter.
Earlier, a member representing Lagos Island Constituency 2, Olarenwaju Afinni, who raised observation over the elevator accident issue on the floor of the House, urged his colleagues to help look into the crisis.
In his own contribution, Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa 2, said the NMA had the right to express its grievances over the death of its colleague, but appealed to its members to call off the indefinite strike in order to avert more deaths.
Yishawu said, “This incident saddens my heart and we sympathise with the family and NMA.
“We have seen their demands and we are appealing that they should resume work to prevent patients from dying,” he pleaded.
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