Tina Amanda
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry chaired by Justice Adolphus Enebeli to investigate the immediate causes of the collapsed seven storey building under construction at Number 119 Woji Road, Plot 80 GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt continued its 2nd sitting at the state high court Port-Harcourt on Friday.
The panel continued with its cross-examination of some past and present officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning who served between 2014-2018.
A retired Director in the Ministry of Urban Development, Mr Azubuike Nweye, told the commission of inquiry during his cross-examination that his alleged signature on the collapsed building plan was forged.
Mr Nweye stated that neither he nor the staff who worked under him during his stay in office in 2014 processed or signed the building plan.
During his interrogation, Former Permanent Secretary who served in the ministry between December 2013 – February 2015, Mr Lawson Ikuru, also said that his signature on the purported approved plan was forged, adding that no copy of the said building plan file was seen in the office, except at the construction site.
He stressed further that there was no commissioner appointed into office during his time in service, adding that the highest building he approved as at then was four-storey building and not seven-storey.
Responding to the panel, the present Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Anthony Nweyilobu, told the commission that he assumed office in November 5th 2018 and thereby has no knowledge of the movement of the file for the seven-storey building plan, stressing that he is only working with files handed over to him by his predecessor.
On his part, Director of building approval and Regulation in the ministry, Edmund Obinna, said that it was during the revalidation of the seven-storey building in 2018 that it was discovered that the collapsed building actually had a registered building plan in the ministry which he said led to the commissioner calling for the original approved building plan which could not be traced in the ministry’s archives.
He said further that he visited the construction site when it was still at six-storey when a widowed neighbour came to the ministry to complain of debris from the high casting of the building affecting her, stressing that the ministry issued directives that the woman complaint should be appropriately taking care of.
