Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has ordered a complete seal-off of a five-storey building site that collapsed on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring several others.
The Governor visited the site on Thursday alongside Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sir Amairigha Edward Hart, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Dabite Sokari George.
—‘Site Remains Sealed Until We Get the Root Cause’–
Fubara said the location will “remain completely sealed off” until government determines the cause of the collapse.
He described the incident as unfortunate, but said preliminary findings showed the developer had repeatedly refused inspection and failed to comply with building regulations.
“I didn’t come yesterday because I wanted to get the report first,” the Governor said. “The Commissioner briefed me that the site is not under the state’s jurisdiction as claimed by the developer, but under the *Federal Housing Authority*.
“He also informed me that officials came here several times during construction to inspect compliance, but the developer insisted we had no right to interfere.”
*‘This Should Not Happen in the 21st Century’*
Fubara said the issue was no longer about jurisdiction but about lives lost and the impact on the victims’ families. He commiserated with them and blamed the collapse on non-compliance with engineering and construction standards.
“We feel very sorry and very regretful that such an incident should be happening in this 21st century. Technology has advanced, engineering has developed,” he said.
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“I wonder what kind of engineer would allow this kind of project to go on when everything about it from inception has been faulty.”
The Governor concluded: “Nothing is going toi happen on this site anymore. We are going to make sure that this place is completely sealed off until we get to the root cause of this incident.”
