Akwa Ibom State Government has promised to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the remote and immediate cause of a four-storey building that collapsed at Iman Street in Uyo, the state capital.
This came as two persons have been confirmed dead in the mishap while three others rescued are lying critically injured in the hospital.
DAILY POST had reported that construction workers were trapped in the incident, which happened Saturday night.
The Deputy Governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, who visited the scene on Sunday on behalf of the governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, commiserated with the families of deceased victims and promised that the government would investigate the matter and ensure that those found culpable are brought to book.
Ekpo, who led other government functionaries including the security chiefs, asked about the relatives of the deceased, other victims as well as the site engineer whom it was gathered absconded last night
The deputy governor, while praying for the repose of the souls of those departed, stressed that whoever that violated the building regulations and law must go in for it.
His words, “The governor is out of Uyo and he sends his condolences. I came here first and foremost to sympathise with the families of those who lost their loved ones and since I came this is the question I have been asking, ‘where are the relations?’
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“We must also investigate why and how it happened, to ascertain the personalities that are involved, was the building approved? If yes, did they follow the specification? It is after the inquiry that the state government would know what to do, but like I said earlier, whoever violates the building regulations, the law must take its course.”
Also, the zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, South South, Godwin Tepikor, who confirmed the casualty figure while speaking with newsmen, called for enforcement of building codes in the country.
According to him, “I was informed about this incident about 7pm yesterday (Saturday) and I quickly mobilised relevant stakeholders namely; the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Civil Defense, the Fire Service and the Red Cross. And I advised that they should contact any construction company to mobilize their excavators because what we needed was to rescue people alive.
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“So, that commenced yesterday (Saturday) up till now and that is what is still going on. So far, we have recovered one dead body here and the other died in the hospital because of multiple injuries.”
On what should be done to curb incessant building collapse, he said, “I think that we should enhance enforcement, because it is possible that the property got approval and it is possible that the terms of the approval were not followed. Substandard materials may have been used.
“So, if there was enforcement of building codes we would have been able to stem the tide of building collapse.”
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