Following the collapse of a two-storey building on the Lagos Street in Garki II district of Abuja at about 11:45pm on Wednesday night, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate arrest of the owner of the collapsed building.
According to reports, Wike gave the order when he visited the scene of the incident on Thursday morning. While applauding the ongoing rescue efforts, he noted that it was unfortunate that they woke up to the very disturbing news of the building collapse.
“It is not what we contemplated. Let me thank the agencies, particularly NEMA and FEMA that have supported us to rescue not less than 32 lives. Unfortunately, we lost two lives.
“I will appeal to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those who were rescued, so that we do not lose any more people, and this should be done immediately.
“Secondly, these are the things we have been saying, nobody knows whose turn it will be, therefore, when the government says it will take actions in areas we believe there are illegal developments or buildings that don’t comply with the standard codes, it is not as if anybody has any personal vendetta but for me, it is for us to do the right thing,” he said.
The FCT minister also expressed disappointment that it had taken the FCTA a long time to resettle natives of Garki village, saying that he will take immediate action to see that the indigenes of the village were resettled and then the government has to plan out the area.
“When the government says take building plan, it is not to suffer anybody but to make sure that everyone is protected. Cities are planned to forestall this kind of occurrence. Imagine buildings without approval. I will ask that we identify and arrest the owner of this property. It is very important.
“Government will of course take over this area and make sure no further development is carried out here. I want all the stakeholders here to please work with the government in the interest of everybody. No one has come here to say I like A, I do not like B.
“I know sometimes government decisions may not be too comfortable with the people, but in the long run, it is in the interest of the people. Now we are all gathered here and none of us is happy we are here, these are the things we are trying to forestall.
“Again, I sympathise with those who lost their lives, government will pick up the bills of all those in the hospital. We will also support the rescue efforts and ensure that they get to the last level and rescue everyone still trapped in the rubble,” he said.
Also speaking, the director of FCTA Development Control, Muktar Galadima, said the building was located within the Garki indigenous settlement, and that the building had two suspended floors, one used for commercial activities while the other floor was used as residential accommodation.
He explained that the status of the place is an unplanned area, hence the collapsed structure had no planning approval, saying that the area is meant for resettlement.
Meanwhile, Leadership Newspaper reports that some residents of the area said they had persistently complained to the landlord and lawyer of the collapsed building concerning its dilapidated state, saying that their complaints, however, fell on deaf ears.
The visibly angry residents equally blamed relevant government agencies for failing to conduct integrity tests or inspections on the building, which is located in the city centre and a highly populated area of Abuja.