Two buildings have collapsed in different locations in Owerri, the Imo State capital. The buildings collapsed at Emekuku in Owerri North local government area and at Old Market Road in Owerri municipal council. The two-storey buildings which were still under construction collapsed over the weekend.
However, no life was lost as workers were not at the sites when the structures collapsed.
LEADERSHIP visited one of the locations at Old Market Road, and observed that the state government had cordoned off the environment.
The special adviser to the governor and general manager of Owerri Capital Development Area, Hon Francis Chukwu, who visited the scene of one of the collapsed buildings at Emekuku ordered a probe into the incident.
A statement from his office reads, “The determination and uncompromising position of the State Government through its Development Control Agency – Owerri Capital Development Authority – OCDA towards the enforcement of standards in building construction activities played out yesterday following the collapse of an ongoing two-storey building on Old Market road Owerri which its construction was stopped by OCDA in November, 2022.”
Confirming the collapse of the structure, Francis Chukwu disclosed that the agency had earlier stopped the construction of the building during one of its routine operational activities after operatives of OCDA had discovered the inadequacies in the building construction process.
He explained that the issue of building collapse remains the major reason why the Development Control Agency continues to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that developers adhere strictly to all safety standards in building construction process.
The OCDA helmsman who maintained that the agency under his watch will continue to ensure zero tolerance to the use of substandard materials in building construction, advised developers to only make use of standard building materials.
He, however, advised builders to employ the services of certified professionals in building construction activities in order to achieve the desired goals.
While confirming that no life was lost in the building collapse, Chukwu revealed that investigation would be further carried out to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the building collapse with a view to avoiding such incidents subsequently.
