THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the building collapse in Abuja that claimed five lives, with the developer and an engineer linked to the project set to face arrest.
News Point Nigeria reports that Wike gave the directive on Monday after visiting the site of the collapse in the Durumi 3 area of Abuja, near Gudu Market, where a building under construction caved in on Saturday morning.
The incident, which occurred at about 9:00am, left five people dead and several others injured.
According to the Mandate Secretary for Health and Human Services in the FCT, Adedolapo Fasawe, 15 people were pulled from the rubble.
Nine victims were rescued alive, while one person remains in critical condition.
Speaking at the scene, Wike described the tragedy as “very pathetic” and said the government would not compromise on the safety of residents.
“From the report I got, we lost five people, and some lives were saved. It’s very pathetic. Nobody is happy when you lose somebody,” the minister said.
He disclosed that the Department of Development Control had sealed off the premises and that a panel would be constituted to determine the immediate and remote causes of the collapse.
“The Department of Development Control has sealed off the premises. We are going to set up a panel to really look at what happened. One of the engineers has been arrested already. From there, we’ll get to the developer, and the developer will also be arrested,” Wike said.
The minister stated the FCT Administration had taken over the matter, while the Department of Development Control would conduct preliminary enquiries pending the outcome of the panel’s findings.
Wike also warned developers against obstructing officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) from carrying out routine inspections of construction sites.
According to him, some developers resort to blackmail whenever government agencies attempt to enforce compliance with building regulations.
The minister stressed the importance of adhering strictly to building standards, including conducting soil tests and using quality materials.
“In the construction of buildings, we must know the quality. What materials are they using? Are they doing the soil test? What is the result of the soil test? Can it allow for two floors or three floors? All these are very key,” he said.
Wike noted that the protection of lives and property remained the foremost responsibility of government, adding that the lives lost in the collapse could never be replaced.
“How can you buy back these lives? They are gone. That is the responsibility of government: to protect life and property,” he said.
Fasawe said preliminary findings by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria suggest that the developer may have compromised the quality of the cement mixture used for the project.
She urged residents and developers planning to build in the nation’s capital to obtain the necessary approvals from the FCT Department of Development Control before commencing construction.