A group of friends of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has said the nation’s number two man, has no link with the 21-storey building that collapsed at Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday.
The group, under the aegis of “Friends and Associates of Professor Yemi Osinbajo”, in a statement by Richard Akinnola, debunked the insinuation that the vice president is connected with the property, urging Nigerians not to play politics with the sad incident.
He said the vice president has never had ownership interest in either the company or business of the developer of the collapsed building, Mr. Femi Osibona.
The statement read in part, “It is most unfortunate that, at a time when people are mourning over the collapse of the Ikoyi building and the loss of several lives in the most unfortunate circumstances, some mischief makers are trying to score cheap political goals and use this very sad situation to tarnish the name and image of our hardworking and humble Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
“The Social Media has suddenly become awash with information trying to link the vice president directly or indirectly to the collapsed structure.
“Some stories say the developer, Mr. Femi Osibona, is a front for some big guns in government, others directly say the land is owned by the vice president, while others made a veiled connection to the governor of Lagos State.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for the sake of those who may be misled by the spurious and totally unfounded statements, we, as concerned colleagues and friends of the vice president wish to make it clear that the vice president has never been involved, neither does he have any ownership interest in the developer’s company or business.
“The facts can be easily verified from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) or Land Registry which the malicious writers have failed to check or show a connection between the vice president and the collapsed building.
“We commiserate with the families of those who have lost lives and limbs as well as those still in agony of not knowing what the fate of those beneath the rubbles in this most unfortunate incident.
“We urge that as Nigerians, we should show more compassion and empathy to grieving compatriots rather than attempting to score political goals through it.”
