The minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), Muhammed Bello, has revoked the approval granted for the construction of a three-storey building in Gwarimpa area of Abuja.
The shopping mall, which was still under construction collapsed on February 2, leaving several people trapped, while 21 persons were rescued from the rubble.
Following the collapse of the building, the FCT minister directed security agencies to arrest the developer of the building.
Bello, on Tuesday, February 7, said that the FCTA and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) “have set up a technical team to look into the report prepared by the FHA on the circumstances surrounding the collapse.”
He noted that, “This was one of the decisions reached at a meeting between top officials of the FCTA and the FHA where the report was presented to me by the chairman of the FHA, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, on Monday, 6th February, 2023.
“Myself and the FHA chairman both regretted the loss of lives and commiserated with the families of the deceased.
“In line with FCTA policy, I revoked the approval granted for the construction of a three-storey building.
“The meeting also commended the various agencies involved in the rescue efforts that saved 21 lives and stressed the need for cases of contraventions to go beyond mere issuance of ‘stop work’ notices.
“Also, both organisations resolved to work very closely together to prevent any future occurrence,” Bello added.
Comments