Florence Uwaeme
The Rivers State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Commandant Michael Besong Ogar has regretted the deaths of three labourers working at a construction site at Nbodo Community, Isi Ewu Road, Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Commandant Ogar who was represented by the Head of the Rivers NSCDC Disaster Management Rescue Team relayed that the sad occurrence would have been avoided if the contractor had desisted from using substandard building materials.
He noted that preliminary investigation reports revealed that the rods, pillars, and blocks used in the construction of the two-storey building were far below the required specifications.
“It is high time Nigerians began to take responsibility for their actions, especially when the lives of humans are involved, the collapse of the two (2) Storey building at Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area could have actually been avoided if standardized materials and the right specifications were used. Owners of buildings and landlords are hereby advised to be wary of desperate and quack building contractors who care only about their pockets and not the lives of innocent people”.
The Rivers State Commandant lauded the Executive Chairman Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike for mobilizing 3 Pay loaders and providing the necessary logistics which enhanced the rescuing of the victims and recovery of the 3 corpses during a joint rescue operation by NSCDC, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), other Security Agencies and well-meaning people who worked tirelessly to savage the situation.
“Let me use this opportunity to thank the Ikwerre Local Government Chairman, the Head of NEMA South South Office, other Security Agencies and well meaning people of Rivers State who collaborated with our Men in the search and rescue operations; the collapsed building environment has now been cordoned and sealed to prevent further disaster.”
“It is imperative to also intimate the public that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has a Statutory mandate of Disaster Management, Search and Rescuing of Victims during Emergencies; and as such our partnership with NEMA will continue to get stronger even as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has now been signed to enhance the capacity and effective service delivery of both Federal Government Agencies at the National and State levels respectively.”
“In furtherance to this, the NSCDC Rivers State Command Crisis Management Department will not relent in carrying out sensitization and awareness programs to warn the public of imminent dangers and precautionary measures needed to avert both man-made and natural disasters in our environment because prevention is better than Cure.”
