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From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Gombe State Government has warned that appropriate sanctions will be imposed on any consultant or contractor found responsible for the collapse of the part of the ongoing State House of Assembly Complex, as the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) inaugurated a panel to investigate the incident.
Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Mohammed Saidu Fawu, gave the assurance during the inauguration of the COREN investigation panel in Gombe, saying the state government would not hesitate to act on the outcome of the probe if negligence or professional misconduct was established.
“We have nothing to hide. If the consultant or any other party is found wanting, the government will take appropriate action in line with the recommendations of the investigation,” the commissioner said. He, however, clarified that the incident involved only the canopy of the Assembly complex and not the entire structure.
The investigation panel was inaugurated by COREN Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Okorie Austine Uche, who said the council was determined to establish both the immediate and remote causes of the structural failure through a scientific and evidence-based process.
Uche warned that no engineer found culpable would be protected, stressing that any registered professional indicted by the investigation would face disciplinary proceedings before the COREN Tribunal.
“We don’t rush to conclusions. There are issues that may require laboratory tests. Nobody who is involved or has done anything that led to this loss of life will be protected,” he said.
He disclosed that the panel had been given four weeks to complete its assignment, after which its findings and recommendations would be made public. The team will also assess the structural integrity of the remaining sections of the project before construction resumes.
Chairman of the panel, Engr. Isiyaku Lawal, assured residents that the exercise would be transparent, noting that investigators would examine the project’s design, construction and supervision to determine the actual cause of the collapse and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
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