RSG yet to prosecute officials culpable in collapse of 7-storey building in Port Harcourt

On Friday, 23rd November 2018, a 7-storey structure collapsed at Woji Road Port Harcourt while construction workers were still working on the building. While rescuers said as much as 40 persons died, official government figures were much lower.

Here is the timeline of events and media coverage of the collapsed building:

23rd November 2018

1. Rivers State Government to investigate the cause of building collapse

2. 25th November

Victoria Nyeche blames regulatory authorities for Port Harcourt building collapse.

House of Assembly to investigate Swizz hotel building collapse.

3. 26th November

Lack of equipment hampers rescue efforts at Woji building collapse site.

4. 27th November

Victim’s relation counters claims by Rivers State government that it rescued 39 persons from the collapsed building.

5. 28 November

Exclusive report details how official corruption led to the collapse of the building.

“According to insiders who confided in theportcitynews, the collapsed hotel originally started as a 5-storey building in 2014 but was later approved by an official of the Rivers State Urban Development and Physical Planning, and illegally increased to a 7-Storey structure in September 2018”, two months before it caved in.

Rivers State Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Reason Onya, steps down over the collapse of a 7-storey hotel complex in Port Harcourt.

6. 30 November

President Muhammadu Buhari condoles with the people and government of Rivers State, and families of the deceased, over the loss of lives.

7. December 3rd

Rivers State Government sets up a commission of enquiry with the above people:

1. Hon Justice Adolphus Enebeli – Chairman.
2. Engr Iboroma Z.S. Akobo – Member
3. Emmanuel Asawo (FNIQS) – Member
4. TPL Ngozi Oliver Worgu – Member
5. Arc. Tim Otukeh Orji – Member

7. December 4th

Residents flare Wike for setting up a commission of enquiry while rescue efforts were ongoing, albeit slowly.

TPCN editorial: In Port Harcourt, humanity died

8. December 5th

Wike inaugurates Judicial Commission of Inquiry with above charges:

“To ascertain/identify the owner, developer and holder of the certificate of occupancy over and in respect of all that piece or parcel of land situate and lying at 119 Woji Road, (Plot 80), GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt.

“Ascertain whether the construction of the Seven–Storey Building on the said 119 Woji Road is covered by any valid or approved building plan and/or whether requisite approvals were issued by the appropriate Ministry or agency of the Rivers State Government before the commencement of construction “.

9. December 6th

PH Building Collapse: Imo State indigenes protest in Port Harcourt

10. December 20th

Collapse building: Commission of Inquiry again extends dateline for submission of memoranda

11. 28th December

Commissioner for Health, Professor PRINCEWILL CHIKE said his ministry responded actively in the rescue operation, adding that seventeen corpses were recovered while thirty-one persons were rescued in the operation.

Professor Chike also stated that the corpses have been deposited in three mortuaries and the survivors who sustained levels of injuries were treated at Rivers state teaching hospital and some private hospitals.

In his response during cross-examination, commissioner for Special Duties, JOHN BAZIA stated the roles his ministry played during the rescue operations but pleaded with the commission to recognize the 21 young men who risked their lives to save others during the rescue operation.

The commissioner further said that about seven hundred bags of cement were said to have been loaded in one of the floors of the seven-story building which might also be a causative factor.

On his part, former Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Dr Reason Onya, told the panel that the approval of the seven-story collapsed building was not done in his tenure, but was approved in 2014, adding that it was revalidated in 2018 for just four-storey building.

12. December 29th

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.

13. 2nd January 2019

Former Commissioner blames Reason Onya for the collapse of a 7-storey building in Port Harcourt

1. 2nd January 2019

The geologist, who conducted the geotechnical soil test for the collapsed 7-storey building Daniel Erekosima, says he certified the soil as being suitable for a one-storey building and not for a seven-storey.

“I prepared the soil test for the collapsed building. I was told the building would be a one-storey building by one Mr Ade, the man who took me to the site and who also paid me for my work.

“We don’t compromise when it comes to our work, because structural engineers depend on it.”

Dr Tammy Danagogo, a former Commissioner in the Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning, says dereliction and compromises made by top officials in the ministry of urban development and physical planning responsible for the collapse of the 7-Storey building.

Danagogo accused Dr Reason Onya, the current commissioner and directors in the ministry for playing a major role in the building collapse.

15. 4th January 2019.

A builder and Supervisor, supervising and recruiting skilled and unskilled workers at the construction site of the collapsed seven-storey building, Emmanuel Enyang, says about one hundred and fifty workers were on the construction site the very day of the collapse.

Enyang said further that the collapsed seven-storey building was originally designed for raft foundation but later changed to piling foundation after a second soil test.

Civil/Structural Engineer, Oti Emmanuel, described the nature of collapse to the panel as a plastic failure of the structure, adding that such collapse could have been caused by excessive dead load and imposed loads on the building.

1. 5th January 2019

Mrs Edna Ezekiel Hart, says in 2016 when the builders started evacuation work on the 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.

17. 6th January 2019

Rivers State Governor vows to persecute indicted officials

“Let me assure you that we wouldn’t have wasted our time and resources setting up the commissions of inquiry. The reports will be duly implemented.

“Anybody indicted for the collapsed building will face the law. If you are connected to the deaths of people, we will prosecute you for murder”. Wike was quoted to have said.

18. 9th January 2019

Former Commissioner says that the ministry has no professional architect who interprets drawing, but hires the services of consulting agents who are professionals to interpret building drawings.

He stressed that he also relied on reports presented to him by directors in the ministry.

Timiebi Reuben, the Architect who designed the collapsed seven-storey building and oversaw the registration process at the ministry of urban development, says the building plan registration of 2013-2014 was handled by Mina Aprioku, a Director in the ministry of urban development who processed everything and brought the building plan to him.

A consultant in Disaster Risk Management, Dr Vincent Uchechukwu Adiela, recommended to the panel that there is need to look beyond relief distribution when a disaster occurs and focus more on disaster reduction and disaster preparedness, stressing that there was so much chaos few hours after the collapse of the seven-storey building.

He said further that Rivers state should have a state emergency response agency and train volunteers to handle disaster outbreak in the state and at the local government level, adding that before any building is approved, that there should be evacuation plan in place.

Also, appearing before the panel, Director Development and control, Mina Aprioku, told the panel that he has no dealings with Architect Timiebi Reuben, denying knowledge of processing or registering the approved plan of the collapsed seven-storey building.

1. 6th April 2019

Rivers State to prosecute the owner of the 7-Storey building

According to a statement by Barr Emma Okah, the then commissioner for information “The Rivers State Government accepts that the owner of the building, Sir Francis J. Allagoa should bear all liability regarding compensation to families of the deceased persons and individual expenses of those injured.

“Sir Francis J. Allagoa is also to bear the cost and make good the damage done to the adjoining property owned by Mr Edna Ezekiel Hart”.