The Senate has observed a minute silence in honour of victims of the ill-fated 21 storey building collapse in the Ikoyi area of Lagos.

This followed a point of order raised on the floor of the Senate by Senator Oluremi Tinubu who drew attention to the disaster which she said has claimed about 44 lives so far.

Senator Tinubu also said about 16 people have been rescued alive so far and that rescue efforts are still ongoing.

The Senate President Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks, urged professional bodies to ensure that only competent and qualified professionals were involved in construction works.

Lawan charged the Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria and other institutes in the construction industry to ensure that only professionals were engaged for building projects.

“They should also ensure that only qualified and certified professionals are engaged in construction to avert the type of tragedy that happened in Ikoyi.”