It is no longer news that a seven-storey building still under construction collapsed in highbrow Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State last week, killing two site workers and injuring several others. What is news is the man behind the collapsed building.
Joshua Okeowo, the younger brother to wealthy businessman and socialite, Sir Olu Okeowo, is the face behind the collapsed Banana Island building. Both brothers are involved in construction business. While the elder Okeowo operates through Gibraltar Holdings Limited, the younger Okeowo operates through Joe Faraday Limited, a company he floated 12 years ago. While he is the managing director of the company, his wife, Nike, is the chief operating officer but also runs Esther of Kish, an outfit that curates handcrafted jewelry.
Following the unfortunate incident, the younger Okeowo’s social media page has been under ‘lock and key’ and the website of the company is currently under maintenance. But sources reveal that like his older brother, he loves luxury cars.
A philanthropist, Joshua dispenses his milk of kindness through his Joshua Okeowo Foundation. There have been conflicting reasons as to why the building collapsed. While the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) claims the building collapsed after a truck ran into it, the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB blames the collapse of the building on negligence by the contractors handling the building. Still, the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mukaila Sanusi, claims the building was unapproved. It remains to be seen if the buck passing of blame will eventually result in the state government wielding the big stick on the offender instead of sweeping the matter under the carpet as has been the custom.
