BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has ordered a complete lock-down of the Odili Road site in Port Harcourt where a five-storey building collapse left one dead, as the government demands answers for a tragedy that could have been avoided.
The governor, who visited the site of the disaster on Thursday afternoon to assess the situation, said the site will remain “completely sealed off” until the government gets to the “root cause” of the incident where one person was killed and several others injured.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi, the governor described the incident as unfortunate, noting that preliminary investigations had shown that the developer had earlier refused to subject his site to inspection by the state authorities and comply with the necessary building regulations.
The governor, while inspecting the site alongside the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Amairigha Edward Hart, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Dabite Sokari George, explained that his planned visit to the site on Wednesday could not take place due to the need to have a formal briefing from the relevant agency of government on the situation.
Governor Fubara said: “We’re here to see for ourselves the very unfortunate incident that took place here. I didn’t come yesterday because I wanted to get the report first, and the commissioner did brief me that the incident site, first, is not as claimed by the developer; that it’s not under the jurisdiction of the state; that it’s under the jurisdiction of the Federal Housing Authority.
“He also informed me that when the project was ongoing, they came here several times to inspect what was happening and also to see the level of compliance, but unfortunately, the developer kept claiming that we don’t have any right to interfere.”
According to him: “We feel sorry and very regretful that such an incident should be happening in the 21st century. In the 21st century, because technology has advanced, engineering has developed.
“I wonder what kind of engineer would even allow this kind of project to go on when everything about it, from inception, has been faulty.
“I think that at this point, nothing is going to happen on this site any more. We are going to make sure that this place is completely sealed off until we get to the root cause of this incident”.
Meanwhile, the evacuation process at the construction site was temporarily suspended as the engines of all five excavators were turned off at about 4:30pm on Thursday.
Despite concerted efforts, no additional rescue has been made, and there is still much rubble to be packed.
Many youths and residents in the neighbourhood, as well as scavengers, have occupied the site, cutting rods used to cast the building, obviously for sale.
As the emergency workers and rescue teams face a race against time, mountains of heavy concrete debris stalled recovery efforts, leaving hope fading for more survivors trapped under the collapse.
Meanwhile, chaos has gripped the disaster site, with aggressive crowds of local youths, residents, and scavengers seen dismantling the wreckage to loot and sell the exposed steel reinforcing rods for quick cash.
