Asaba, Nigeria — The Delta State Government has commenced an investigation into the collapse of a three-storey building under construction along Uche Okolo Street, near St. Patrick Catholic Church, Asaba.
The investigation, being led by officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Renewal, is expected to determine the immediate and underlying causes of the structural failure and establish whether the building was constructed in accordance with approved plans, building regulations and professional standards.
The building collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, September 8, triggering panic in the neighbourhood and damaging portions of adjoining structures.
No death or injury has so far been reported. However, parts of a nearby hospital, including its perimeter fence and windows, were reportedly damaged by the impact of the falling structure.
Residents told reporters that the building had shown signs of distress before the collapse.
One resident, who simply identified himself as Gospel, said he heard unusual cracking sounds while taking an early morning walk between 4:00am. and 5:00am., shortly before the structure suddenly collapsed.
Another resident, Mr. Lionel Asiokwu Christopher, General Secretary of the Asaba Community Youth Council, raised concerns about the quality of construction work on the project.
He said the structure was believed to have initially been planned as a bungalow but was subsequently developed into a multi-storey building, with work reportedly reaching the third decking before the collapse.
However, the claims about poor-quality materials or defective construction have not been established as the cause of the collapse.
The government investigation is expected to provide the technical findings necessary to determine what went wrong.
The incident has once again brought building-control enforcement and compliance with approved structural and engineering standards into focus in Asaba, with residents calling for closer monitoring of construction projects to prevent future disasters.
The key outstanding issue now is the outcome of the government’s technical investigation and whether any enforcement action will follow.
It would be recalled that The Story had earlier reported that a two-storey building under construction collapsed in Asaba, the Delta State capital, with The Story authoritatively reporting the incident at the time.
