Gov. Obiano sets up panel to investigate Onitsha building collapse

The Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has set up a panel to unearth the reason for the collapse of a four-storey building in Onitsha on Thursday, last week.

The building situated at No 9 Ezenwa Street, Onitsha, which was under construction had collapsed, trapping the site engineer and some workers, which later resulted in the death of two persons.

The governor however remained silent about another building, which had also collapsed in the commercial city at No. 44 Modebe Avenue, Odoakpu, in which five persons were trapped, but later rescued alive with varying degrees of injury.

A press release by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C. Don Adinuba stated that the reason for the panel was to forestall future occurrence.

He said, “The panel is to find out both the immediate and remote causes of the building failure, including the calibre of persons and quality of materials used as well as granting of approval by the appropriate regulatory body.

“Governor Willie Obiano stated that members was drawn from, among other bodies, the Nigerian Institute of Building, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Anambra Raw Materials Testing Laboratory and the State Emergency Management Agency as well as the Nigeria Police Force.

“The governor appreciates the efforts of individuals and organizations that worked tirelessly to save the lives of victims of the building failure and ensure that the incident did not result in chaos.”