Building collapse: Plateau Government seals shopping malls in Jos, set to end quackery activity
Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB), a parastatals of Plateau State ministry of Urban Development have sealed a three storey building shopping malls that is under going construction at Terminus, former Mr Biggs, Jos.
Daily Champion reports that the decision of Plateau state Government to haul the construction work followed collapsed in some parts of the storey building which occurred on Sunday 4th February, 2024.
The shopping malls that had about 180 shops was under construction since the previous administration of Simon Lalong.
Addressing newsmen Monday after touring the building , General Manager JMDB, Arch. Hart Bonkat revealed the structure did not meet a required standard right from onset as the owner defied all stop work ordered given to them.
“Unfortunately today I would say we have been vindicated because we have been to this side over five times. We have issued stop work orders, we had even issued demolition notice for work to stop but the owners are persistent and refused to stop. We have told the quality of the job been done here cannot be ascertain and we cannot approved of it.
“And it is important to put to note that this whole structure that your seen here has no approval. We have tried as much as possible to stop them doing the work but they keep on, and in fact we put in one of the building that we are going to demolish and so were going to do what we say we did, and this is going to be testament for the readiness of the JMDB which is now a unique organization to make quacks do not take over side and produced whatever they want to produce.
“We had some flenzy drawings that they submitted in the office, which raised eyebrows because the project of this magnitude we know the quantity and quality they supposed to have come with it. But unfortunately it has less than 20 pages including structural design building and on paper it show they are planning to have about 20 shops per each floor.But I can assured you after counting is about 180 shops.
“The name of the owner I don’t know but the files said one ‘Metal Nigeria’ supposed to be the owner, and they have some representative to sent claiming to be the architect of which were yet to verify because from our records the person they had not registered, does not qualified to be on this site in the first place. For the records, we have not meet any engineer or architectural designer to be able to tell us those who are doing this project. Then we have also raised those observation severally by asking who is the engineer on site but were unable to source them”, the GM narrated.
Commissioner Plateau State Ministry of Urban development, Hon. Joshua Laven assured the law will take it course immediately to ensure the right thing is done as the present administration of Caleb Mutfwang would not tolerate attitude of unhealthy practice where certain persons which lacks requisite qualification to practice but venture into construction business to continue gambling with Peoples life.
“The building would not stand the test of time as it contravened the law of the land because they were served notices not one not twice. The building would endanger the lives of thousands Nigerians who would come and do their business activities. This quackery wound continue under this administration.”
However, some of the experts and stakeholders in building and construction industry who were scene of the incident such as;Oke Ezema, chairman Building collapse prevention of the Nigerian Institution and purchase, Engr. Yakubu Ashoms, Chairman Nigerian society of engineers as well as Builder Olukayode Adedeji adjudged that findings revealed right foundation to a stage where the structure is there no approval and proper coordination.
Tyosar Terver Zonal Coordinator North Central, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, admitted that as a research institute their duty is to collect samples of soils and other materials in the building whenever incident of collapsed occur to run a lab test and from there to come out with findings and ascertain why the building has collapsed. He said the results will be ready within two weeks.
