Governor Siminalayi Fubara has ordered the immediate shutdown of the five-storey building collapse site along Odili Road in Port Harcourt, demanding a full investigation after one person was killed and several others injured in Wednesday’s tragedy.
Visiting the scene on Thursday, Fubara declared the site “completely sealed off” until authorities uncover the “root cause” of the collapse.
In a statement from his Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi, the governor expressed regret over the incident, noting that preliminary findings revealed the developer had repeatedly flouted state inspection rules and building regulations.
“I didn’t come yesterday because I wanted a formal briefing first,” Fubara said, accompanied by Commissioner for Physical Planning Amairigha Edward Hart and Special Duties Permanent Secretary Dabite Sokari George. He disclosed that the developer had wrongly claimed the site fell under Federal Housing Authority jurisdiction, not state control, and had resisted multiple inspection attempts.
“This is no longer about interference it’s about a lost life and the pain inflicted on that family,” Fubara stated. “In the 21st century, with advanced technology and engineering, this should not have happened. I wonder what kind of engineer would allow such faulty work from the start.”
He extended condolences to victims’ families and stressed the collapse was avoidable had rules been followed.
Meanwhile, evacuation efforts ground to a halt Thursday afternoon as all five excavators stopped working around 4:30 pm. No further rescues have been made, with tonnes of rubble still untouched. Youths, residents, and scavengers have since swarmed the site, cutting and carting away steel rods from the wreckage likely for resale.
