The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has inspected the site of the four-storey building under construction that collapsed along the Odili Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Executive Director, Project Implementation, FHA, Oluremi Omowaiye, led other officials of the authority in the company of the Rivers State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Edward Hart, to assess the site.

Omowaiye blamed the developer for the incident lamenting that instead of adhering to the approved drawing of three-storey building granted him by the authority, he added an extra floor to make it a four-storey building.

He said a team of engineers from the FHA’s head office, alongside the agency’s top technical team, were sent to the site immediately the collapse of the building was reported to ensure a seamless rescue operation.

The executive director commended the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for his prompt response to the situation.

He clarified that the approval for the building was granted to the developer before the current management of FHA assumed office.

He insisted that the building approval issued on February 20, 2024, was explicitly for three suspended floors based on the submitted structural drawings and wondered why he added an extra floor.

He said: “We must commend the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Rivers State Government, other agencies of government and security agencies, that have been very supportive.

When our engineers noticed they were exceeding the approval, they directed them to stop, but they refused.”

Omowaiye recalled that the Managing Director of the FHA, Oyetunde Ojo had, about a month earlier, publicly warned developers repeatedly through the print and electronic media to halt all ongoing developments on FHA lands.

But he said the developer of the collapsed building continued with his construction in flagrant disregard to the warning issued by the MD.

He said in a bid to improve safety standards, the FHA had established its own laboratory for structural integrity tests after discovering that results from many private laboratories were often doctored.

He said that preliminary physical inspection of the building revealed the use of clearly substandard materials adding that samples of reinforcement, concrete, and drawings had been sent to the head office for further scientific analysis.

Omowaiye confirmed that there would be controlled demolition of unstable shaft using heavy equipment and that residents of the surrounding buildings would be relocated to give rescue officers unhindered access to the site.

He said to prevent future incidents, the FHA in a broader move had created a new enforcement department to ensure strict compliance with approvals through a stage-by-stage approval process.

He noted that FHA had already pulled down some completed buildings in Lagos, Abuja and Kano that completely failed integrity tests.

“We mean business,” he declared, assuring that the agency, in partnership with state governments, was committed to ensuring quality housing delivery without compromise.