Kazeem Owoseni
One person has been reported missing after about 13 others escaped death, following the collapse of a two-storey building under construction in Calabar, the Cross River state capital, on Saturday.
Reports revealed that the incident happened, while construction workers were working on the second decking of an uncompleted building at Muri Nta Eke Street off Ikot Eyo area of the town, on Saturday afternoon.
The state Commissioner for information, Mr Eric Anderson, who confirmed the incident, said 13 workers were originally working on the site before the incident, but only 10 were present at the site, when the incident occurred.
According to Mr Anderson, out of the 13 people working on the site, three went for break when the incident occurred, leaving the remaining 10 workers, who luckily escaped being trapped by the rubble, but the security man on the site, claimed that a boy was seen around the site, shortly before the incident.
”The people originally working at the site were 13 but three of them took a break before the incident, so only 10 were on the ground when the building collapsed.
“We can account for the 10 persons but the security guard told us that a boy was seen at the site seconds before the collapse.
”So we are here with our equipment to make sure we get to the bottom of the rubble, it is obvious that the contractor who happens to be the owner of the structure was also the site engineer and building engineer and all.
”He is a known person, he owns a hotel( name withheld ) at Nsemo Street in Calabar, I have contacted him severally but he has refused to take his calls.
”From what we have seen so far at the site of the incident it is obvious he used substandard materials for the project. The mixtures, the blocks, and the iron rod used were all substandard.
“I’m also aware that the Ministry of Urban Planning and Development had written to him four months ago to stop building but he has been evasive, with this his details will definitely be made available to security agencies for due process.
“We are trying to get to the bottom of the rubble to make sure the boy is found, until then we will remain at site, we are also using this opportunity to let other illegal builders know that it’s no longer business as usual.
“We know it takes a rigorous process to get demolition approvals but we will take such stance to the next level and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again in Calabar and Cross River as a whole,” Mr Anderson explained.
