The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate identification and arrest of the owner of a two-storey building which collapsed in Abuja, Wednesday night.
The building housing about 39 residents, had two certified dead with 37 rescued and hospitalized.
The residential property located at Lagos Crescent, Garki Village in the Garki District of the nation’s capital, was one of the first storey buildings in the area.
The building reportedly collapsed around 11pm, Wednesday, during the heavy rainfall but lack of heavy equipment impeded rescue operations resulting in initial slow purely manual interventions.
At the collapsed building scene, Wike noted that original residents of the area were designated for resettlement but wondered why for years, the FCT Administration could not carry out such resettlement.
His words: “It is unfortunate that we woke this morning to the very disturbing news of this building collapse. It is not what we contemplated.
“Let me thank the agencies particularly NEMA and FERMA that have supported us to rescue not less than 37 lives. It is unfortunate that 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 persons, and this should be done immediately.
“Secondly, these are the things we have been saying, nobody knows whose turn it will be, therefore when government says it will take actions in areas we believe there are illegal developments or buildings that do not 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.
“I don’t know why it has taken long that the FCTA has not resettled them and so we will take immediate action to see that the indigenes of these place are resettled and then government has to plan out this place.
“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 occurrences. Imagine buildings without approval. I will ask that we must 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 government in the interest of everybody. No one has come here to say I like A, I don’t like B. I know sometimes government’s 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 sympathize with those who lost dear lives, while 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”.
