Church Committee Onitsha collapsed building: Only 4 persons died, not 15

                                  

The Parish Mission Committee, PMC of the St. Christopher's Anglican Church, Odoakpu, Onitsha, today told odogwuemekaodogwu.com that only four persons were killed by the four-storey building that suddenly collapsed on Monday afternoon inside the church premises and not 15, as published by some national dailies.

The Chairman of PMC, Evangelist Kingsley Agbadike confirmed to odogwuemekaodogwu.com at the scene of the incident, while reacting to publications in some national dailies that 15 persons were killed by the collapsed building, that only three of the victims were job men plastering the building, while the other was a church yardman who was just sweeping a corner of the rooms when the incident occurred.

Agbadike who was visibly furious about the exaggeration of the figures, by the national dailies, said construction work on the building which was designed as Parish office, commenced in 2012, while the roofing was done in February, this year, adding that it was at this plastering stage that it collapsed.

He said the caterpillars were still evacuating the debris of the collapsed building, after which investigations would commence on the actual cause of the building collapse. 

Meanwhile, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State yesterday visited the site of the collapsed building and announced the state government's intention to commission a laboratory that would test and verify the quality of all the materials used for the building.

The Governor who was received at the site by the Anglican Bishop On The Niger, His Lordship Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo, emphasized that the laboratory which would be commissioned by next week, would also be used for testing all the materials to be used for future building construction in the Anambra State, henceforth.

This he explained, was to ensure that only quality standard materials were used and to forestall future building collapse in the state, adding that the proposed laboratory would operate like the drug labs to ensure maximum quality.

The Governor directed the State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Callistus Ilozumba to carry out a technical survey of the another building within the premises of the collapsed building owned by the Anglican Church in order to ensure that it met the required standard, to ensure that it did not portend any danger to the people.

He warned builders in the state, to ensure that they did not cut corners in handling their building projects, stressing that henceforth, the State Government would prosecute any contractor whose construction work collapses.

He sympathized with the Anglican Bishop on the Niger,  Bishop  Nwokolo, over the collapsed building and the victims of the accident, adding that he just flew in from Abuja and decided to visit the scene of the building collapse in other to see things for himself.

Responding, Bishop Nwokolo commended Obiano for his concern and urged the state government to come to their aid in any possible way it could.