Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency,LASIMRA, has said it never gave approval for the installation of a telecommunication mast at the rooftop of the four-storey building that collapsed Tuesday afternoon.

Its General Manager, Jide Odekunle said the mast was installed two weeks ago, saying the last approval the agency gave for the installation of mast was four months ago.

Odekunle said they have commenced investigation to ascertain the owners of the mast, saying they would face necessary sanctions when unmasked.

According to Odukunle, the agency within two months, derigged ninety-one illegal or abandoned masts within Ikeja, saying plans for utility infrastructure audit across the state were underway.

He said: “That mast was illegal. It is not in our database, which means the owners did not even write us for permit. Besides, there is no way we wouldn’t given an approval for a mast on that building which was already defective.

From our findings, the building was built about 35 years ago and it was already weak before the mast was placed on it. The last approval we issued for mast was four months ago.

We have identified the type of mast that is. We understand that the people who went for the installation said they wanted to use it for CCTV surveillance. Different companies for masts. For now, we cannot say the particular company or contractor that has that one but we are investigating.

As of Tuesday, the mast was not carrying any traffic. It has not been powered because the residents refused the mounting of an industrial generator to power it. So, it is difficult at the moment to know the network operator but we will definitely get to the root of it.

Asked if it was safe to install masts on residential buildings, Odekunle answered in the affirmative, noting that it was recommended global best practice since the height of the structures were far above human heights.

He said: “There is no harm with rooftop mast installation. It is the recommended method globally. The fear about emission of radioactive materials to harm occupants is unfounded because the rooftop masts are way above human height. What should be of concern to us are oil spillage from generators we place on the floor, which penetrate the ground and get to water levels.