The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of the owner of a two-storey building that collapsed on Friday in the Jikwoyi area of Abuja.
The minister gave the directive on Monday after inspecting the site. He also announced the revocation of the 2,500-square-metre plot of land allocated to the owner.
The building, which was under construction as a hotel, collapsed and left several workers injured. No lives were lost, a development Mr Wike attributed to divine intervention.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, the minister revealed that the owner had neither obtained approval from the FCT Development Control department nor heeded a prior notice of discontinuation.
“The first thing to note is that there was no approval for the construction of this building,” Mr Wike said. “Since there was no formal approval, and nobody knows the quality of material they were using, the government will immediately take over this plot of land. We will then find out from the community what they would want the government to build for them for public use.”
He added: “The owner, and whoever is involved, will be arrested and prosecuted.”
Mr Wike advised property owners to always follow due process by securing necessary approvals before starting any construction. He noted that developers should inform the Development Control department of their plans and the materials to be used, after which the department would supervise the project at every stage.
“But of course, they will ignore it, and this is the situation we find ourselves in,” he said. “Sometimes buildings spring up in the early hours. The simple thing is to go and get approval, so that development control will know what you intend to do and the quality of material that you want to use.”
The minister warned that the FCT Administration would not hesitate to demolish any building constructed without approval.
“Anybody building without development control’s approval, we will bring the building down,” he said. “To forestall future incidents, development control will continue to do its job. Anywhere you see a building without approval, don’t only serve notices — bring the building down to save lives.”