Workers attribute Enugu Assembly Speaker’s building collapse to inferior materials

Builders working on the site of a two storey building allegedly belonging to the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi, has attributed its collapse to the usage of inferior materials.
The building site, which is situated at Nkpokiti Layout in the state capital, collapsed on Thursday morning with no casualties recorded except two workers who sustained various degrees of injuries.

Some of the workers who do not want to be quoted for fear of losing their jobs on the site told Daily Times that most of the materials used were inferior.

“We were working when we suddenly heard a caving sound as a result of poor materials we are using in the building. The caving sound forced us to quickly jump down from the various points where we were working.

“I thank God that nobody died, although some workers sustained injuries,” one of the workers said.

A former member of the State House of Assembly who pleaded for anonymity confirmed that the collapsed building belonged to the Speaker.

According to him, “my house is close to the collapsed building and I can confirm to you that the building belongs to the Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Ubochi,” he said.
Every effort to get comments and confirmation of ownership of the house from the Speaker proved abortive as he refused to answer calls put across to his mobile phone and also respond to text message.

Our correspondent reports that eyewitness account at the scene of the incident also blamed the collapse on poor quality of materials used for the building.

The state Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDAO), Mr. Chidi Aroh, who rushed to the scene of the incident, said that whereas his ministry takes full responsibility for the incident, the agency had since August 2016 gave order for stop of work at the site but was disobeyed.

Aroh told journalists that he has dispatched a letter to the police requesting for the arrest of one Engr. Nwokike, who he said was in charge of the site.

The commissioner also said that he has ordered for stop of works on all ongoing buildings at the estate until all approval plans are verified, while pledging that such incident would not occur again in the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration.

“This is the first time building collapse is taking place in Enugu state since the inception of this administration and I can assure you that by the grace of God such will not happen again,” he said.

Daily Times reports that majority of the buildings at the estate belong to both serving and former members of the Enugu state House of Assembly.