Two-storey building collapses in Warri

A two-storey building under construction has collapsed in Marine Quarters, Warri, Warri South Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta.

The building which was few metres away from the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Warri Correspondents Chapel, crumbled at about 1:10pm, according to an eyewitness.

Our correspondent reports that no life was lost in the incident.

Mr Olusegun Awodiyi, Chairman, Marine Quarters, who spoke on behalf of the residents, said they had warned the owner of the building that the foundation was not strong enough to carry a 2-storey building.

According to Awoniyi who claimed that the building materials used were substandard, the owner of the building whose name was not given, rebuffed them and said he was a certified engineer.

He said: “The workers have not been around for some days, so we thank God that no life was lost.

“The Delta Government should come and take a critical look at another house belonging to the same owner of the collapsed building to avoid another one collapsing and possibly leading to death.”

Mr Samuel Owoputi, who owns a building beside the ill-fated structure, said two of his children who were sleeping in his room narrowly escaped death as the incident also affected the room.

According to him, the collapsed building had been giving sign since Wednesday.

Mrs Divine Iniovosa, the Vice Chairman of the local government area who visited the scene, said the owner of the building would be invited to the council secretariat for questioning.

Iniovosa claimed that from all indications, the materials used for the building were substandard, adding that it was built without the service of a qualified engineer.

“We thank God that no life was lost. From what I am seeing, it shows that the materials used were poor and the owner did not engage a qualified engineer to do the job.

“As a council, we are going to invite the owner to come and tell us what happened; but for now, I will report to the council chairman what I have seen.

“My people from the Town Planning Departments have drawn our attention to this building and they told the man to stop the building. I am not surprised that this has happened.

“The owner of this house probably did not want to live in it, otherwise, he would not use these poor materials to build this house,” she said.

Iniovosa advised prospective builders to engage the services of qualified engineers and also use standard materials for their buildings.

“People should engage the services of engineers before starting their building. They should also use quality building materials so that their house will stand the test of time,” she said.