The Rivers State Government has launched an investigation into the cause of a collapsed 3-storey building under construction at the Iriebe axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi disclosed this during an inspection of the site of the collapsed building along with officials of Greater Port-Harcourt City Development Authority and Directors of the Ministry.
He said no lives were lost in the collapsed building which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday 29th, October 2024.
Bipi, in a statement by his
SA Media/Publicity, expressed regret, saying it was unfortunate that the building has no government approval which is essential for ensuring structural integrity and safety.
He attributed some likely causes of the collapsed building to include structural defect, negligence, cutting corners and use of substandard materials by the contractor.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi also reiterated his call on property owners and developers to obtain approved building plans from the Ministry to allow for regular inspection by the Ministry and to ensure conformity with building approvals and specifications.
He said the government would use this latest incident to make an attempt at sanitizing the building industry in the State by cracking down on defaulters with a view to preventing building collapse and restoring the reputation of the industry.
In the meantime, the site of the collapsed building has been temporarily sealed by the State Government pending the outcome of a joint investigation by the Rivers State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, and the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority.