Abia declares developer of collapsed building wanted

September 17, 2020

By Ijendu Iheaka

Abia government has declared the alleged developer of the collapsed building at No. 85 Azikiwe road, Aba, one Mr Emmanuel Ohaka, wanted.

 The government made the decision following the discovery of two additional bodies of victims of the building which brings the number of dead persons at the site to three.

The declaration was contained in a statement released by the Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu late Wednesday.

In the release, according to the Commissioner, one survivor was brought out of the rubbles alive while the other three, two females and one male, were pulled out lifeless.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu therefore ordered Abia Commissioner of Police to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of the developer with the site engineer, Mr Bassey Afokwalam, who is already in custody.

The governor also directed the continuation of search operation at the site to ensure that nobody remained trapped under the rubbles.

He also urged the police and other security agencies to provide adequate security around the area for the continued seamless operation of the rescue team.

Ikpeazu expressed sadness over the needless loss of lives arising from the illegal development of the property which was being constructed without approval from relevant agencies.

He further directed Town Planning Authorities in Abia and the Ministry of Lands to go round the state and ensure that construction is discontinued on any building under construction.

Ikpeazu, had earlier directed Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) and Aba South LGA Town Planning Authority to immediately ensure full and safe demolition of the partially collapsed 3-storey building.

ASUP hopeful of negotiations with Ikpeazu over Abia Polytechnic - Ezeibe

September 16, 2020

By Ijendu Iheaka

 

Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has said that Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s renewed effort to discuss issues of Abia Polytechnic with the body inspires hope for implementation of resolutions reached.

Mr Anderson Ezeibe, National President, ASUP, disclosed this in an interview with our Correspondent in Aba on Wednesday. 

Ezeibe said although past committees empaneled to resolve problems in the institution did not bring lasting solution to Abia Polytechnic’s challenges, the new effort is expected to bear fruit.

“As a trade Union, we are not unaware of what has been happening in Abia State Polytechnic; we are fully in the picture. 

“But one good thing is that there seems to be a renewed commitment on the part of the governor to depart from the current trend of not taking desired actions in the institution.

“You know how this came about is that we took them to the Human Rights Commission, so this is some of the outcomes.

“We think that this mini conference which the governor will be its chairman, will give all the parties opportunity to very sincerely interrogate our roles in this crisis and proffer solutions collectively. 

“As an academic Union, we should not stop at identifying challenges, we should also come to the table with models for resolution on a sustainable basis.

“We believe the government is committed to its citizens welfare; I can say we don’t have a choice than to give the government the benefit of the doubt that it will do the needful and at the end, whatever we resolved, they will commit to implementation”, he said. 

Ezeibe said that another point raising ASUP’s hopes of a productive meeting is that it is the national body of the Union that is anchoring the conference with the state governor present.

He said although ASUP took the matter to National Human Rights Commission, (NHRC), it is open to other means of reaching resolutions like this meeting to proffer sustainable solutions.

Ezeibe said that the major issues to be deliberated upon will include the levels of governance at the Management, the Governing Council and the state government which is affecting the institution’s progress.

“Irrespective of the amount of money you push into the system, as long as there are issues at the respective levels of governance, you may just be pouring water into a basket. 

“The critical issue among all the issues is that of governance at all these levels because that is what brought us to this point in Abia a Polytechnic.

“And then the issue of funding model; you have to develop a funding model that will be sustainable, that will help the institution to get appropriate funding.

“Such funding that will meet its overhead cost and its personnel cost needs.These are the two issues that we would be going to the discussion table with,” he said.

Past committees set up by Ikpeazu’s administration to resolve the issues troubling the institution had failed to produce a lasting solution. 

However, some of their recommendations which resulted in the sack of some staff members of the institution resulted in court litigation against the state government by affected staff members

Building collapses, traps four, kills one, in Aba

 September 16, 2020

By Ijendu Iheaka

 Early morning rains in Aba, Abia’s Commercial nerve center, on Wednesday caused the collapse of a three-storey building under construction, trapping four persons with one dead and one rescued.

The building, located at No 85 Azikiwe road, by Asa road , off Kent Street, in Aba South Local Government Area of the state collapsed at about 5:15am on Wednesday according to eyewitnesses.

The building had two of its three floors at the backside pulled down by rain while the front remained intact hours after a downpour in the city early morning on Wednesday.

Our Correspondent learnt from the only survivor who gave his name as Uche Kalu, that there were five other young persons who were not so lucky as himself who was rescued by another young boy living in the vicinity.

The remains of one of the yet-to-be identified victims was seen hanging with stretched out leg, and rubbles dividing him into two from the head at an entrance suggesting he was escaping before getting trapped.

Kalu, who was barely audible due to exhaustion, said that the collapsed building had been under construction for about a year now with some homeless youths using it as shelter.

He however, told our Correspondent that he and some of the other victims were taking refuge in the building when the incident happened.

Kalu who said he is a bricklayer added that he was concluding discussions with one of the trapped victims about a job they were to do, when the collapsing building separated them and buried him under rubbles.

Kalu, bruised all over his head by rubbles, was later rushed to a nearby hospital by sympathizers where he is currently receiving treatment.

Ten hours after the incident occurred, no rescue team from Abia government had been sighted at the scene of the collapsed building. 

However, members of Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) who arrived the scene about 8:00am climbed into the building, but came down helpless as they could do nothing with no excavator to lift the rubbles.

Mr Wisdom Okoro, Member, Practice Committee, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, representing Abia State at the Council said the building had no professional builder attached to it.

He said unless government insists on having professional builders supervising buildings under construction, lives of citizens would be saved and costs of buildings reduced.

He called on Abia government to discontinue the construction of the building and set up a panel to investigate the construction of that building to forestall future occurrences.

A Building Engineer and resident who visited the scene, Mr Leonard Eze described the building as a death trap and a disaster awaiting to happen fast. 

He faulted the Aba South LGA Town Planners and other relevant government agencies, stressing that it was crystal clear that the building was structurally faulty and certainly set to cause havoc.

"Some building contractors in this Aba will use poor methods/techniques, combined with substandard rods, poorly molded blocks, improper cement grades, disjointed support pillars and when relevant government agencies come calling, they'll pay them off and they'll go thinking they can have their cake and eat it”, he said

“How can one use substandard materials and expect a miracle; some government agent ought to be supervising the job, but what do you see, shoddy oversight riddled with corruption which led to the loss of these lives that could have been avoided”, he said.

Mr John Ugwoeri, Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Builders (NIOB) Abia Chapter said this was the fourth collapsed building being recorded in Abia this year.

He blamed Abia government for the calamity adding that unless the government listens to the body and heeds their call to use professional builders, such problems would not be averted. 

Corps member empowers 26 widows in Abia

September 11, 2020  

By Ijendu Iheaka

A member of National Youth Service Corps, serving in Abia, Mr Adeola Samuel has empowered 26 widows in Aba North through training them in various skills, Lady Bona Fasakin has said.

Fasakin, Abia NYSC Coordinator, disclose this during the closing ceremony of skills acquisition training programme for 26 widows in Aba North by Corp member Adeola Samuel (AB/19C/0750) serving in Abia.

She urged NYSC members to transfer skills they learnt in camp to their host community members to improve lives and make the nation better.

The  Coordinator urged corps members to emulate Adeola Samuel by seeking around them needs of members of their host communities which they can meet.

“Do not waste your service year doing nothing, rather engage yourselves in meaningful ventures that will improve both your life and people around you.

“I am delighted that a few of these Corps members having acquired skills of their choices, have gone ahead to transfer the skills learnt to people within their host communities.

“I am happy to be at this event which is the personal community development service project and skills acquisition training programme organized for these widows by Corp member Adeola Samuel.

“He heeded my call, while in camp and has embarked on this life touching project”, she said.

She said the trainees, who were mainly widows have acquired skills in cosmetology, confectionaries making and food processing and weaving and bead art which will definitely take them through life.

Fasakin therefore urged the participants to make good use of the skills in order to assist their families get through life.

Adeola Samuel, the corps member who organized the programmes said he was moved to take up the challenge of helping widows because he does not like seeing people suffer.

He expressed joy at the rate at which the participants in the programme responded and took it seriously and had shown skill in producing their own wares.

He expressed hope that the skills they have acquired would help them provide for their families while urging corps members to learn to affect lives positively.

The Transition Committee Chairman, Aba North, Mrs Joy Iwuchukwu said when widows take steps to help themselves, people are moved to help them.

She commended the widows for coming to learn these skills and urged them to the skills to become better and help your families. 

Mrs Olayide Kayode and Mrs Precious Igwe, some of the widows residents in Aba, expressed happiness at the project which has given them knowledge to earn some more money for their family upkeep.

They prayed God to bless the Corps member for having thought of them and coming to assist them through the training and promised to use the skills to better their families.

Abia warn residents against contracting Bovine Tuberculosis

 September 8, 2020

 By Ijendu Iheaka

 

Abia Agriculture Commissioner, Prof Ikechi Mgboji has warned residents of Abia to desist from eating cow lungs in order not to contract Bovine Tuberculosis which has been found in Abia.

The commissioner disclosed this during an interview with our Correspondent.

Mgboji said the warning became important following the discovery of some cows infected with bovine tuberculosis, a cow disease which affects cow lungs two weeks ago.

Bovine Tuberculosis is a chronic animal disease caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium bovis (M.bovis) related to the bacteria causing avian and human tuberculosis and can affect all mammals.

The disease causes a general state of illness manifesting later with coughing and resulting in eventual death of the affected mammal.

“Part of our work in this ministry is that any cow offered for public consumption is usually examined by veterinary doctors.

“About two weeks ago, two of such cows when killed were found to have Bovine Tuberculosis (M.bovis) and there is no way to know a cow with such a diseases unless they are either killed or tested.

“So we decided to alert people who eat beef to stop eating the lungs of cows for now but they may eat the flesh.

“They should stop eating that particular organ for now until we are able to determine if it is a very exceptional case or a prevalent case”, the commissioner said.

Mgboji said that his ministry had alerted all Veterinary Doctors who operate at the abattoirs in the state to watch out for such disease manifestation to determine its spread and safeguard lives.

He also noted that the Abia agriculture ministry had alerted cow dealers in the state to be aware of the discovery and to allow their cows to be tested to safeguard the lives of beef consumers.

He lamented that the cow dealers have not been showing interest in having their cows tested to determine their fitness for human consumption adding that their quest for profit is a threat to human health.

“The Board of Internal Revenue is sending touts to come and inspect the meat and get them money and I ask how can a tout who has no training in veterinary medicine inspect meat in abattoirs.

“That is what we find in Nigeria and when you speak you make enemies unnecessarily for yourself.

“When you have the BIR egging the touts on to get money for them, it makes our work difficult but in spite of all that, we will do our best to safeguard lives of residents”, he said.

The Professor of law said the warning he gave was throwing up dust in some quarters stressing that these operations are not for his personal good but that of all Abia residents.