Collapsed Hotel Building: Majemite Commends DTSG Over Swift Response

-As SSG Reiterates Strict Adherence To Building Plans, Standards

By Daniel Dafe

The Executive Chairman, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Chief Faith Majemite, has commended the Delta State Government over the swift response and assistance given the local government during the rescue mission by the council for possible survivors after a hotel under construction collapsed recently in Abraka.

Majemite who spoke to Oasis Magazine (OM) during a phone conversation, added: “The said hotelier used substandard materials for the place that is why the building collapsed. The building approved for him was a storey-building and residential, but he decided to turn it to a three-storey building.”

She continued: “The hotelier used 12 mm road. That was a disaster waiting to happen. It is so sad when I think of the people that died in that place. I am not happy at all. All of the four corpses have been brought out now. We went further; I mean the SSG, myself and top government functionaries to another hotel owned by the owner of the collapsed hotel building and it was shut down until structural engineers will visit the place to access it if the materials used her standard.

“The hotelier and the bricklayers he contracted to build the hotel that eventually collapsed are under detention now.”

Majemite commended community leaders and rescue agencies for their cooperation.

She called on builders in the area not to use substandard materials in their construction and use qualified engineers in their building constructions, as she called on town planners to go round buildings in the local government to ascertain if they are safe and standard materials were used in order to avert a reoccurrence of such disasters again.

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, has stressed the need for builders to always ensure safety by adhering to standards.

Ebie said this when he visited the collapsed building site at the weekend.

Mr. Ebie said preliminary investigation revealed that the project was executed contrary to the approved plan as the materials used did not meet the specifications.

He said the approved plan for the uncompleted three-storey building was for one storey building and wondered why the contractor did otherwise.

The SSG disclosed that the owner of the site, Chief. Efe and the site engineer, a Togolese have been arrested, adding that investigation was still ongoing to determine other causes for the collapse.

He regretted that lives were lost and noted that the remaining part of the collapsed building would be pulled down.

Those who spoke, including the Chairman Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Comrade Kehinde Taiga, said it was an unfortunate incident and called for the arrest of the Town Planning Official, Mr. Longlife Oyibo, who he said, was aware that the construction was contrary to the approved plan but did nothing.