Okenyi Kenechi
As rescue operations at the collapsed 7-storey building in the GRA axis of Port Harcourt enter the 13th day with families hoping for a positive outcome, Indigenes of Obodukwu clan in Imo state, today, staged a peaceful protest in Port Harcourt, over the slow pace of work at the site.
The troubled indigenes demanded the quick rescue of their son, Morgan Ekene Ihionu, who alongside many others are still trapped under the rubble of the 7-storey structure.
The group demanded that the state and federal governments put in more effort in rescuing the victims.
The leader of the group, Michael Onwe, told theportcitynews that the “slow pace of work at the site is heartbreaking. We have prayed, fasted, hoped and wished for the government to be proactive but we are losing hope.
” Our brother is still trapped there with many others. I don’t know if he is still alive but the government is not doing its bit to ensure that they are rescued. We are tired of waiting”
The Rivers State Government, on Tuesday, inaugurated a committee to investigate the mystery behind the collapse, although the commissioner for urban development and physical planning, Reason Onya, stepped down eight days ago to allow a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
The Commissioner also admitted to having approved the extension of the building from its original 5-storey to 7-storey in September, saying that the building plan was missing as at the time he granted the approval.
Residents, however, accused the state government of not doing enough to rescue the victims, arguing that setting up a judiciary commission of enquiry instead of working extraneously hard to rescue those still trapped under the rubble is like putting the cart before the horse.
