More Reactions Trail Onitsha Market Building Collapse
By Juliana Nwachukwu/Patricia Osegbue
More reactions have continued to trail the Oduigbo Ochanja Market building collapse, Onitsha, Anambra State, after Gov. Chukwuma Soludo visited the scene and expressed sadness on the sudden death of workers in the building.
Gov. Soludo regretted that the building project was being carried out by a private developer without approval from the state government.
"I found out that 26 have been rescued and they are in the hospital, and more excavators will be deployed to rescue more, I offered every escavator to come here for rescue mission. I heard that the workers of the developer that were in night shift were trapped here.
"It becomes part of the impunity that is going on in the state, building without goverment approved plan, after the rescue mission, the contractor at its own cost will bring these buildings down.
"I gave an instruction that any building plan must go to physical planning and have my signature since people have started building indiscriminately. Physical planning are not aware of this, not even my signature, so we are going to bring them down and other buildings without my signature," he vowed.
Addressing the crowd earlier, the member representing Onitsha 1 constituency in the State House of Assembly, Mr. Fred Ezenwa, described the incident as saddening and heart breaking.
"it is unfortunate that so many souls have been lost. I am not an expert to say what happened, and the materials will be tested to unravel what was the cause of the thing.
"I plead to you to calm down, to exercise patience for government to unravel the cause of this unfortunate incident."
He also advised traders who are contracting buildings here and there to be very careful, to know the quality of the materials being used in construction so that this unfortunate incident will not happen again in nearby future.
A town Planner, Ben Nwofor, from Nigerian Institute of Town Planning, Anambra State, said, "Lives are being wasted, government resources are being wasted, its unfortunate that we are doing quackery in Nigeria, a doctor cannot do the work of a carpenter, other professions cannot do the work of others.
"We need to be careful here in Nigeria , this is for money, cutting corners, the governor will not be happy, he will set a high panel to unravel what happened here, the developers may not be qualified engineers, how can it collapse when people built four, five storeys but this one, common two storey building, is this thing not ironic. I pray that no life will be lost again".
Also Mrs Grace Anekwe, one of the stakeholders in Woliwo community, said, "We are not happy for what happened and the way it is being handled, the people that the shops were collected from are not happy, this is karma, this Oduigbo belongs to people, I have called the governor, he is a good man but people surrounding him are not telling him the truth, let the governor change people around him, they are not telling him the truth," she said.
Chukwunonso Umeokonkwo, a patron of Anambra State Leaders of Thought, added that what happened was not ordinary, adding that the building was on the finishing touches prior to its collapse.
"I also want to tell government that this is Oduigbo, it is not supposed to be erected three storey building, this is where the poorest of the poor stay, the widows, this is the hope of the common man, this is being built by the rich on the land they collected from poor widows.
We all cried yesterday, nine people were rescued here before my eyes, five died. Another one died by 2am this morning, making them six, the wounded were rushed to hospitals like White Chapel, and others," he explained.
Contributing, Chief Bonaventure Muo, Chairman, Ochanja Central Market, said, "The governor has good intention for the people of the state and for Oduigbo women. All the while the work was going on, I thought the governor has given approval, even when I was telling the traders on announcement that the governor has approved the shops, so I was surprised that the governor has not approved the buildings.
"Governor wants any structure to be approved by planning board, I advice traders to shun what is against the government's plan, so that when you build, it will take a taste of time".
Clifford Iloduba, one of the stakeholders in Ochanja, said, "When these things started, we tried our best as stakeholders to stop them but we couldn't, but as this one happened, I thought Oduigbo is well planned, if you enter inside the market, you will see structures not well planned.
"I was here around 12. 00 midnight when ambulance was carrying the victims. Our governor was here, I know he is wise, he knows what to do, not only this, many buildings in the market have no plans.
"I am pleading to governor to please know the type of people they place as market leaders, there are people who take being market leaders as business, they are not traders, they are at Awka every time, looking for market appointments. Let them make inquiries before giving one such appointments, and I know that they don't give reports regarding to the quality of this structure.
"They are interested in building shops upstairs while there are shops downstairs, I know some of them who don't have approval for their building," he affirmed.
Chikezie Okereke, one of the workers, said, "I am one of the masons, I am at the top floor when the thing happened, on the process of finding my way the structure fell on my head, hitting me heavily, I was admitted at the hospital but was managed to come out to see if I can get help to pay my bills, I don't want to be in hospital bed," he said.
A former Vice Chairman Ochanja Market, Chief Nwabueze Umeh Ofiafuluego, "first son"of ochanja, described the incident as unfortunate, stating that many people were crying because their shops have been taken away from them.
"I am among them. 98 per cent don't have what they are doing, I managed to give out my land which is this present place they are staying, for these widows to stay for a while.
"The current Ochanja chairman is not contributing anything, We plead to state government to bring traders as market leaders, I am pleading to governor to handle this situation wisely because he is a wise man and plead to victims to take heart and the dead to rest in the bossom of the Lord," he prayed.
*Juliana, Patricia are of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
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