ECTDA seals off hotel hall over alleged structural defects

The Enugu Capital Territory Development Auuthority (ECTDA) has sealed off the hall of Bon Platinum Hotel, Enugu, for alleged structural defects.

Located at the Independence Layout, Enugu, the hotel was where the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) issued certificates of return to the Enugu State Governor-Elect, Peter Mbah; his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai and 23 House of Assembly members-elect on March 30.

The event, which held in the hotel’s hall, was disrupted briefly following the alarm raised by some people who claimed to have heard a bang from the structure.

The decision of the agency to seal off the hall on Friday followed alleged structural defects of the double decker hall which reportedly caused the bang during the issuance of the certificates of return to the election winners.

The police had ordered evacuation of the hall which had as large number of supporters and family members who converged to witness the event.

Speaking during the inspection of the facility on Friday, the Chairman of ECTDA, Dr Josef Onoh, said the agency discovered that the building had no approved plan, together with another upcoming structure in the hotel.

He added that the hotel’s management was impatient with ECTDA to conclude its investigation of the facility and was bent on holding another function on the distressed hall on Saturday without resolving the problem with the building.

Onoh said: “The hall doesn’t have an approval but the hotel has and there was a structural bang in the hall the previous day when INEC was issuing certificates of return which made everybody to scamper for safety because they thought the building was about to collapse.

“We went there today for inspection and we are now sealing off the place, including another building being developed at the back,“ he said.

Onoh said the proprietor of the hotel was not ready to exercise patience to enable the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) to come for its own inspection.