The Management of the Federal Polytechnic Oko has disassociated itself from the unfinished three storey building that collapsed on Sunday.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Polytechnic, Mr. Obini Onuchukwu while reacting to the speculations that the building belonged to the Federal Polytechnic Oko and killed about seven people upon collapse explained that the building was owned by a private estate developer and not the Institution.
Onuchukwu said the collapsed structure was located in a boundary village, Ndiagu, with the extension site of the institution adding “though the building was meant to be rented to our students when completed but we thank God for His intervention”.
According to Onuchukwu, over 22 structures completed and ongoing in the Institution are in good condition as they were designed and handled by professionals stressing that there’s no record of collapsed structure in the Polytechnic.
The Polytechnic’s spokesman could not confirm if there were casualties as at the time of filing this report because the rescue operations were still ongoing.
He further stated that the other two buildings adjacent to the collapsed building may have been affected by the impact of the collapsed one due to the proximity and as such has been shut down and the residents evacuated.
“Our rector, Prof. Godwin Onu less than one hour of the collapse visited the scene of the incident and immediately gave directives for the evacuation of all students residing within the axis of the collapsed building for fear of the unknown.
“The students are currently being resettled and we are using this opportunity to call on well to do Anambrarians to invest in structural development in the Polytechnic to complement the efforts of the Rector.
“It is also important for more professional evaluation and assessment of constructions by concerned agencies to ensure quality of jobs around the Polytechnic to avoid repeat of such,” he said.
Meanwhile the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has said that the contractor and owner of the building that collapsed at Oko will be prosecuted if found to have cut corners.
Obiano who was in Oko on the spot assessment of the collapsed building, Monday noted that it was a sad event, promising to institute panel to look into the incident insisting that the State has established an agency that test the materials used in building.
He sympathized with the students whose hostels have been shut because of the incident but assured them that their safety was very important to the State government.
The Rector thanked the governor for making out time to come and see things for himself and further commended him for some of the safety measures he put in place in the State.
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