Rivers Building Collapse: Federal Housing Authority Approved Structure – State Government

The River State Government has said that the collapsed  five-storey  building under construction along Odili Road in Port Harcourt, exceeded its approved plan.

This was as it informed that the building plan was approved by the Federal Government through the Federal Housing Authority, FHA.

The Source reports that many workers were feared trapped on Wednesday, when the building said to be either a proposed hotel, or a shopping mall collapsed, causing significant panic among residents.

Eyewitness accounts also informed that the building collapsed almost at the point of completion.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident  on Thursday, the Rivers State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Edward Hart, disclosed that the building was originally approved as a three-story structure, but was later upscaled to five.

While decrying the incessant cases of building collapse of recent, Hart emphasized the importance of developers adhering strictly to officially approved building plans.

According to him, the collapsed structure was initially designated as a three-storey Hotel complex, but later extended to five floors.

The Commissioner expressed serious concern that the State has recorded two massive building collapse within just one week.

Before the Wednesday incident on Odili Road within the Port Harcourt metropolis, Hart revealed that a three-storey building had earlier in the week collapsed in the Rumuelumeni area of the State Capital.

He, however, vowed that Government will intensify its monitoring role as well as clampdown on illegal structures across the state.