• Victims to get free treatment
By Stanley Onyekwere
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has ordered the immediate takeover and arrest of the landlord of the two-storey building that collapsed on Lagos Crescent located, in Garki II of Abuja.
Our correspondent reports that the yet-to-be-identified landlord of the ill-fated building, opposite Garki Police Station, Abuja, that claimed two lives with 35 sustaining various degrees of injuries when it crumbled Wednesday’s night, following heavy downpour, is said to be on the run.
Also, the hitherto building located within the Garki indigenous settlement had two suspended floors- one used for commercial activities while the other floors were used as residential accommodation.
Wike, who gave the order when he visited the scene of the incident, also directed FCTA Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola to immediately release funds to offset the medical bills of the 35 victims receiving treatment at National Hospital, Asokoro, Nyanya, Garki district hospitals, Alliance and Zenith hospitals respectively.
The minister who sympathised with those who lost their lives, assured that government will also support the rescue efforts and ensure that the rescuers get to the last level and rescue everyone still trapped in the rubble.
While applauding the ongoing rescue efforts said, Wike said: “It’s unfortunate that we woke this morning to the very disturbing news of this building collapse. It is not what we contemplated.
“I will ask that we must identify and arrest the owner of this property. It is very important. Government will of course take over this area and make sure no further development is carried out here.
“I will appeal to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those who were rescued, so that we don’t lose any more person, and this should be done immediately.
“I don’t know why it has taken long that the FCTA has not resettled them and so we will take immediate action to see that the indigenes of these place are resettled and then government has to plan out this place. When government says take building plan, it is not to suffer anybody but to make sure that everyone is protected. Cities are planned to forestall this kind of occurrences. Imagine buildings without approval.
“I want all the stakeholders here to please work with government in the interest of everybody. No one has come here to say I like A, I don’t like B. I know sometimes government decisions may not be too comfortable with the people, but at the long run it is in the interest of the people. Now we are all gathered here and none of us is happy we are here, these are the things we are trying to forestall.”
Meanwhile, some residents of the area say they have persistently complained to the landlord and lawyer of the collapsed building concerning its dilapidated state, but their complaints however fell on deaf ears.
The visibly angry residents equally blamed relevant government agencies for failing to conduct integrity tests or inspection of the building, which is located in the city centre and at a highly dense area of Abuja.
Earlier, Director, Development Control Department, disclosed that status of the plot is that it is not a planned area, hence the development had no planning approval, as the area is meant for resettlement from there to Apo resettlement town.
It was observed that as the rescue efforts are still ongoing only males were confirmed dead while 35 persons who sustained injuries are receiving treatment in different hospitals they were rushed to during the incident.
