The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has vowed to intensify enforcement of building regulations nationwide following the collapse of a four-storey building under construction in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which it attributed to blatant disregard for an approved building plan.
Speaking during an inspection of the collapsed structure along Odili Road, the Executive Director of Project Implementation, Mr. Oluremi Omowaiye, said preliminary findings revealed that the developer violated the authority’s approval by constructing an additional floor beyond the approved three-storey design.
Omowaiye, who led a delegation of FHA officials to the site alongside the Rivers State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Edward Hart, disclosed that the authority had already deployed engineers from its headquarters and technical experts to support rescue operations immediately after the incident.
He explained that the building approval, granted on February 20, 2024, was strictly for a three-storey structure based on the submitted structural drawings, stressing that the addition of a fourth floor amounted to a clear breach of the approval.
According to him, FHA officials had earlier directed the developer to halt construction after discovering the deviation, but the warning was ignored.
He also recalled that the Managing Director of the FHA, Mr. Oyetunde Ojo, had only weeks earlier directed all developers on FHA estates to suspend ongoing construction activities pending compliance verification, a directive the developer allegedly flouted.
Omowaiye said the authority had since established a structural integrity laboratory to verify the quality of construction materials after discovering that reports from some private laboratories were often manipulated.
He added that samples of concrete, reinforcement materials and the building’s structural drawings had been forwarded to the FHA headquarters for detailed scientific examination, while preliminary physical assessment indicated the use of substandard construction materials.
As part of ongoing rescue efforts, he disclosed that the unstable section of the collapsed building would undergo controlled demolition using heavy equipment, while occupants of neighbouring buildings would be temporarily evacuated to ensure the safety of rescue personnel.
The FHA executive director further announced the creation of a dedicated enforcement department to monitor construction projects at every stage and ensure strict compliance with approved designs.
He noted that the authority had already demolished structurally defective buildings in Lagos, Abuja and Kano, warning that similar action would be taken against violators regardless of location.
“We mean business. We are determined, in collaboration with state governments, to ensure that housing development across the country meets the highest standards of safety and quality,” he said.
Omowaiye commended the Rivers State Government, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), security agencies and other emergency responders for their prompt intervention and support following the building collapse.
(The Whistler)