Tag Archives: Church Collapse

Akwa Ibom government rejects NSE, SON’s plan to investigate church building collapse

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The Akwa Ibom State government has rejected the plans by the Nigeria Society of Engineers, NSE, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and any other interested organisation to investigate the collapse of a church building in the state.

The Nigeria police said 27 people lost their lives, while 37 were injured when an uncompleted structure housing the Reigners Bible Church, Uyo, collapsed on Saturday during a ceremony to enthrone the founder of the church, Akan Weeks, as a bishop.

The building collapsed shortly after the ceremony started around 10 a.m., with heavy iron beams falling on worshipers, including women and children.

The state governor, Udom Emmanuel, escaped unhurt, while the Secretary to the State Government, Etekamba Umoren, the Commissioner for Information, Charles Udoh, and the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ekerete Udoh, were said to have sustained some injuries.

The NSE and SON have reportedly made public their plans to investigate the tragic incident.

The NSE investigation committee, according to Channels Television, visited the site of the collapsed building.

The committee was led by Charles Ukoh, a former vice president of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN.

Mr. Ukoh was quoted by Channels as saying that his committee would carry out proper investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.

“He (Mr. Ukoh) promised that the committee would present an unbiased report that can be confirmed anywhere in the world,” the TV station reported.

SON, through its Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, Dauda Mshelia, was reported to have also made a similar visit to the site, and took away samples of materials used for the construction for laboratory analysis to find out the cause of the collapse.

But the state government has come out to reject such plans by the NSE and SON.

“Government wishes to urge members of the public to discountenance any purported claims of enquiry or investigations into this tragedy by any organisation or entity,” the state government said in a press statement issued, Wednesday, by the spokesperson to the governor, Ekerete Udoh.

“The Panel set up by Government is made up of seasoned professionals in the engineering and building profession and the work of the panel will be independent, fair and thorough,”

The government barred unauthorized persons or groups from having further access to the site.

The panel of enquiry into the incident will commence work immediately, the government assured.

“We wish to restate for the avoidance of doubt that any persons found culpable would be made to face the full weight of the law irrespective of tribe, religion or status in the society,” the statement said.

“Government is set to streamline the processes involved in the monitoring and enforcement of relevant building regulations, especially with regard to public buildings to ensure that they meet professional standards.

“Henceforth only public buildings which have passed the necessary safety certifications would be allowed to host public events.

“Government is committed to doing all that is necessary to ensure that this unprecedented event never happens again.”

Chris Ekpenyong, an engineer and former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, was part of the NSE delegation which visited the site of the collapsed church building.

When reporters contacted Mr. Ekpenyong, he said the aim of their visit to the site wasn’t to investigate the incident, but to rather have first hand information before making plans to pay a condolence visit to the state governor.

“We couldn’t commiserate with the governor, without first going to the site to see what happened.

“We are not supposed to set up a panel, it is the government that should do that,” Mr. Ekpenyong said.

Church collapse: Akwa Ibom governor denies aide died while saving him

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The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has countered a witness account as reported by Omojuwa.Com here, that his aide died while saving him from the collapsed church in Uyo.

The state is mourning the collapse of the Reigners Bible Church building, along Uyo Village Road, which led to scores of deaths and injuries.

Governor Emmanuel said 26 people lost their lives, while the police had earlier put the figure at 27.

Ubong Mboho, an evangelist, who was inside the collapsed building, told reporters, Sunday, that he saw the governor’s aide, Ernest Idem, push Mr. Emmanuel away from the falling iron beams.

“He (Mr. Idem) was standing close to the governor. I saw him push the governor away from danger when the building started falling,” said Mr. Mboho whose father, Elijah Mboho, an influential arch bishop in Akwa Ibom, was scheduled to ordain the church pastor, Akan Weeks, as a bishop at the ill-fated ceremony.

Mr. Mboho said Mr. Idem was hit by a beam before he could get out of the collapsed building.

Two other persons who spoke on Sunday corroborated Mr. Mboho’s story.

But Mr. Emmanuel said no such thing happened.

The governor, during a solemn assembly held on Monday in the state banquet hall in honour of the victims of the incident, said the late Mr. Idem was a driver who worked “directly in his service”.

He said the late driver “sat elsewhere in another location within the church because he was also a member of the church”.

Raphael Edem, Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the governor, gave further insight.

“On that occasion, as on every event the governor attends, those seated beside him (Mr. Emmanuel) were senior officials of Government while those behind him were security detail,” Mr. Edem said on Facebook.

“There were commissioners, chairmen of boards and commissions, permanent secretaries seated up to four rows behind the governor. My friend Ernest was nowhere around there. I was in that church and I saw those beams and heavy metal and roof come down.

“It is a scene you should pray never to witness as it all happened within a matter of seconds. Do you know the distance between where the governor sat and the exit and that it isn’t possible to push someone that distance?

“Is it possible that someone who wasn’t even close to the governor would somehow manage to jump in between his close body protection detail and push the governor?” Mr. Edem said.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, were among the dignitaries present at the Akwa Ibom solemn assembly.

Mr. Emmanuel said at the solemn assembly that he had to chartered aircrafts to fly in neuro-surgeons to help treat the victims of the incident, and appealed to the federal government for assistance.

The governor told the people of the state not to despair, as God was still with the people.

“The second chance is for everyone and not just the survivors, and we should be more concerned by the account we would render before God, because He will certainly not be interested in our titles and positions,” Mr. Emmanuel was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the state government has announced the postponement of the Ibom Heritage Festival, a three-day cultural event which was earlier scheduled to commence on December 15.

Ekerete Udoh, the spokesman to Governor Emmanuel, said the postponement was in honour of the victims of the church building collapse. He said a new date for the festival will be made known to the public.