• NSCDC warns against engaging quacks
From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Three people have reportedly lost their lives in a collapsed building in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the weekend.
Daily Sun gathered that the victims were labourers working at a construction site at Mbodo community, Isi Ewu road Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.
Meanwhile, the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Michael Ogar, has reacted against the loss of lives of the victims.
Commandant Ogar, who was represented by the Head of the Rivers NSCDC Disaster Management Rescue Team, said the sad occurrence would have been avoided if the contractor had not used substandard building materials. He noted that preliminary investigation revealed that the rods, pillars and blocks used in construction of the two -storey building were far below the required specifications.
“It is high time Nigerians began to take responsibility for their actions, most especially when life of humans are involved.
“The collapse of the two-storey building at Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area could have actually been avoided if standardised materials and right specifications were used.
“Owners of buildings and landlords are hereby advised to be wary of desperate and quack building contractors who care only about their pockets and not the lives of innocent people.”
The Rivers State Commandant lauded the Executive Chairman Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike, for mobilising three pay-loaders and providing the necessary logistics which enhanced the rescuing of the victims and recovery of the three dead bodies during a joint rescue operations by NSCDC, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), other security agencies and well meaning people who worked tirelessly to savage the situation.
He expressed: “Let me use this opportunity to thank the Ikwerre Local Government chairman, the Head of NEMA South South Office, other security agencies and well meaning people of Rivers State who collaborated with our men in the search and rescue operations; the collapsed building environment has now been cordoned and sealed to prevent further disaster.
“It is imperative to also intimate the public that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has a statutory mandate of disaster management, search and rescuing of victims during emergencies; and as such, our partnership with NEMA will continue to get stronger even as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has now been signed to enhance the capacity and effective service delivery of both Federal Government Agencies at the National and State levels, respectively.
“In furtherance to this, the NSCDC Rivers State Command Crisis Management Department will not relent in carrying out sensitisation and awareness programs to warn the public of imminent dangers and precautionary measures needed to avert both man made and natural disasters in our environment because prevention is better than cure.”