PH Building Collapse: We worked with a plan different from the approved plan – Construction engineer says

Tina Amanda

The Consulting Engineer handling the construction of the collapsed seven-storey building project, Engineer Niyi Adeyeye, has testified before the Justice Adolphus Enebeli-led judicial commission of inquiry that they worked with another work plan on-site different from the 2014 approved plan and 2018 revalidated plan of the collapsed building.

Engineer Adeyeye stressed that he took over the construction of the building project in April 2017 after the foundation of the building has already been laid.

He said further that the design of the building and load impact may have contributed to the collapse of the building, adding that crushing tests were not carried out to test the cubic strength.

An occupant of a building sharing common boundary fence with the collapsed seven-storey building, Mrs Edna Ezekiel Hart, told the panel of inquiry that in 2016 when the builders started evacuation work on-site, there was serious earth tremor which impacted negatively on her premises leading to cracks on her building and the boundary fence’s wall.

Mrs Edna said she approached the builders demanding they operate with caution and requisite engineering rules, but they paid no attention to her, stressing that she petitioned the office of the commissioner for Urban development alerting the ministry on the consequences of unregulated construction work affecting her property.

According to her, on 22nd March 2017, her boundary fence collapsed, through the intervention of commissioner of police, a replacement fence was erected by the builders, stressing that since then her property has severely suffered damages from debris, metals and concrete falling from the construction of the building and made demands for damages.

On her part, Mrs Nkiru Alalibo, wife to the late Alalibo Omubo, who was attached to four concrete mixing machine at the construction site of the collapsed seven-story building told the commission that the family late Alalibo left behind should be compensated as not to suffer untold hardship due to the demise of her husband.

Architect Dick Nimiye Pere, whom the commission of inquiry had earlier summoned, testified to the panel that he only took an undertaking with Timiebi Reuben for designing of the collapsed building and also assisted him with registration of the building plan in the ministry of urban development, adding that he never took part in the construction of the collapsed seven-story building.