By Hudu Yakubu
The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA Abuja, has ordered the arrest and prosecution of some of the officials of the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, the Developer of the building that collapsed on Thursday in Gwarinpa II District, as well as the site Engineer supervising the construction.
Similarly, the FCTA will also review the mandate ceded in granting development permits and control to the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), in the Development of Gwarinpa Estate.
The Coordinator, of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu, who spoke on behalf of the FCT Administration during a press briefing in his office at Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, said the Administration is deeply worried over the incessant collapse of buildings being developed and handled by the FHA in Gwarinpa Estate, Gwarinpa II, Wupa and Bunkoro Districts of Phase III of the Federal Capital City.
Umar said the FCT Administration has observed that there are flagrant violations of development control guidelines by the FHA, which has resulted in frequent building collapses in the Estate.
They vowed to take all necessary measures to reverse the trend in order not to endanger the lives of FCT residents.
He said the FHA has shown glaring incapacity for the development of the districts allocated to them, via improper monitoring of developments, and lack of adherence to laid down guidelines for development as enshrined in the Abuja Master Plan.
The Coordinator noted that the FHA does not possess the needed competence to handle sensitive emergencies required to guarantee the safety of lives in any unforeseen circumstances.
Prosecution
Umar disclosed that all the officials of the FHA, developers and others involved in the incident will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“Henceforth, the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, has directed the security agencies to arrest the following and charge them for manslaughter: the FHA Officer in charge of granting the development permit, the FHA Officer saddled with monitoring the development; the developer; and the Site Engineer supervising the development for the Developer.”
According to him, all structures being developed in the area have been sealed off by AMMC, pending the conclusion of investigations to ascertain their structural integrity.
He revealed that if the outcome of the integrity test being conducted by FCTA, turns out to be faulty, the entire structure would be demolished.
The Coordinator insisted that it is the statutory obligation of the FCT Administration to coordinate and monitor all developments in the Federal Capital Territory per the Master Plan.
A three-storey building under construction had collapsed in Gwarinpa estate under the purview of the FHA, resulting in the death of three persons, and 21 injured.
The AMMC Coordinator said the entire rescue operation of the incident which lasted for 30 hours was coordinated by the FCT Administration with support from some construction giants in the FCT. (VoN)