PORT HARCOURT – A middle-aged man identified as Udeme from Akwa-Ibom State was killed under the rubble as a two-storey building under construction collapsed at the Egbelu Mgbaraja axis of Ogbogoro Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday.
The incident happened barely a week after a similar collapse occurred at the Iriebe axis of the LGA, where a three-storey building under construction caved in, although no life was lost to that incident.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that the two-storey building at Ogbogoro collapsed around 2 p.m. while the contractors were working on the second floor, adding that one of the workers on site died instantly, while another narrowly escaped death with severe injuries.
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The eyewitness who spoke anonymously suggested that deployment of substandard materials by the developer to the project may have caused the unfortunate incident.
He said, “It’s a building collapse, as we speak one person is trapped right inside the rubble, when we first came, we tried to rescue the person but we couldn’t, when we did our investigation, we found out that they used substandard materials to execute the project, we also found out that the foundation was 3 feet for a 2-storey building which was wrong.
“We also found out that some of the rods used by the builders were of low quality, the decking itself was not chained, there was no centre beam, it was supposed to have a centre beam and a pillar at the middle but it doesn’t have that.
They did not use enough cement in casting the first decking.”
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Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has sealed off the premises of the collapsed building, declaring the property developer wanted over the tragic incident. Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Evans Bipi, during an on-the-spot inspection of the site accused the developer of gross negligence, defaulting on the extant building laws and regulations of Rivers State.
Bipi said the property developer failed to obtain government-approved building plan, adding that the full weight of the law would fall on anyone who cut corners when it comes to building construction in the state.
“We have repeatedly warned that if you are caught building without a government-approved building plan, you will certainly face the penalty.
Bipi also described the incident as one too many, warning property developers to desist from cutting corners and endangering the lives of innocent contractors.
He sympathised with the bereaved family and the people of Ogbogoro Community over the unfortunate incident.
On his part, the Commissioner for Special Duties Dr. Samuel Anya expressed sadness over the loss of life in the building collapse due to unethical and reckless practices of the property developer.
He accused the property developer of prioritising profits over the safety of the construction workers and prospective tenants.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Obio-Akpor LGA Chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo who visited the place during an on-thespot assessment visit, promised to build a police station at the site of collapsed building.
