By Sarah NEGEDU
Construction workers in the nation’s capital have been asked to desist from sleeping on construction sites, given the level of risk involved in inhabiting such buildings.
The Director General, FCT Emergency Management Agency FEMA, Alhaji Idriss Abbas, while reacting to the recent collapse of a building behind CITEC Estate along Airport Road, said the structural integrity of buildings under construction are usually not guaranteed.
A carpenter was fatally injured after a section of a storied building under construction collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday, October 6, 2021.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the FEMA boss stressed that, “the fact that a building is newly under construction does not make it safe because you might not know the details behind the construction or if the developer adhered to regulations of property development.”
Idriss also appealed to developers to desist from sharp practices that can undermine the integrity of buildings and always consider lives and properties first before embarking on any construction projects in and around the FCT.
While sympathizing with the family of the deceased, the DG revealed that the site has been sealed and work stopped to avoid further loss of life, even as relevant authorities’ carryout investigations to ascertain the cause of the collapse.
According to him “we still observed signs of cracks on the the walls of the remaining session of the construction and have gone ahead to move several others found on the site to safe places, to avert more losses.”
He commended the search and rescue team and other responders for their gallant efforts throughout the night and morning of the incident period.
The body of the victim, Oliver, a carpenter at the site, has since been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi.
