Favour Ishember, Abuja
The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has vowed to take appropriate actions against the developers of the two-story building which collapsed in the Gwarimpa Area of Abuja on Thursday.
FHA’s Head of Public Affairs, Kenneth Chigelu, who disclosed this to newsmen at the site of the collapsed building, acknowledged that the developers compromised the approval granted to them by the FHA.
According to him, “Preliminary findings revealed that an approval for 2 floors was granted by the Federal Housing Authority to the developer, who decided to add an extra floor to the structure”.
It will be recalled that Gwarinpa District is an area allocated to the FHA by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for the development of mass housing estate.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmed has expressed concern over what he described as “indiscriminate changes in land use within the Gwarimpa District”.
Engr. Ahmed who spoke when he led a team of FCT Administration officials to the site of the collapsed building, assured that concerted efforts were being made to rescue all persons suspected to be trapped within the roubles of the collapsed structure.
Also speaking, the Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) Umar Shuaibu said investigations will commence immediately to ascertain both the remote and immediate cause of the collapse.
Director of Development Control, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Muktar Galadima said that those rescued have been taken to hospital for medical attention.
Meanwhile, the Director General of Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, confirmed that the rescue workers have far rescued 23 affected persons out of that two were fatally injured and most of the people rescued are responding while some were even communicating under the shambles.
He added that, ” as far as we are concerned this is a very successful operation and I want to use this opportunity to thank the stakeholders and the media.
” We want you to report it as you have seen it,. Those under the rabbles will be brought out before we get to ground zero
As far as we are concerned this is a very successful operation and I want to use this opportunity to thank the stakeholders and the media”.
” We want you to report it as you have seen it. Those under the rabbles will be brought out before we get to ground zero”, he added.
Our reporters confirmed that three site workers were confirmed dead, about 20 rescued, while many were said to still be trapped under the rubbles of the two-storey commercial complex.
According to an eye witness, John Edwin, the workers in the site, especially laborers conveying blocks to the top, were over 50.
He claimed to have lived in the area for many years, and that he has always known the place to be a reserved green area.
Edwin urged relevant authorities to sanction the management of Federal Housing Authority for illegally allocating Green areas for the development of commercial structures.
