The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has blamed the developer of the collapsed building along Odili Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for violating the approved building plan by adding an extra floor beyond the authorised design.

The Executive Director of Project Implementation, Oluremi Omowaiye, led a team of FHA officials and the Rivers State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Edward Hart, on an inspection of the collapsed structure.

Omowaiye explained that the authority approved the project on February 20, 2024, as a three-storey building based on the submitted structural drawings. However, the developer allegedly ignored the approval and added a fourth floor despite repeated warnings from FHA engineers to stop construction.

He disclosed that engineers from the FHA headquarters and the agency’s technical team were immediately deployed to the site following the collapse to support rescue operations.

The FHA official commended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), security agencies and other emergency responders for their swift intervention.

Omowaiye noted that the approval for the building was granted before the current FHA management assumed office and recalled that the Managing Director of the authority, Oyetunde Ojo, had recently warned developers through the media to suspend all ongoing developments on FHA lands pending compliance checks.

According to him, preliminary inspections revealed the use of substandard construction materials, while samples of concrete, reinforcement and structural drawings have been forwarded to the FHA headquarters for detailed scientific analysis.

He announced that unstable sections of the building would undergo controlled demolition using heavy equipment, while occupants of nearby buildings would be temporarily relocated to allow rescue teams unrestricted access to the site.

To prevent similar incidents, Omowaiye said the FHA has established a structural integrity laboratory and created a new enforcement department to ensure strict compliance with approved building plans through stage-by-stage monitoring.

He added that the authority had already demolished structurally deficient buildings in Lagos, Abuja and Kano, stressing that the agency would continue to enforce building standards in partnership with state governments.

“We mean business,” he said, assuring Nigerians of the FHA’s commitment to ensuring safe and quality housing delivery across the country.