Incessant building collapse worries Anambra government

The Executive Chairman of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Chike Maduekwe, has said that the frequent building collapses in the state have become a source of concern and embarrassment for the state government.

Maduekwe remarked that buildings are collapsing in the state in quick succession, giving the impression that there is no regulatory body in place.

He stated this during a press briefing in his office in Amawbia, Anambra State, on Saturday, noting that whenever a building collapses, there is a traceable reason behind it rather than simply blaming the individuals involved.

He said, “Building collapses cannot be completely eradicated because they involve human factors. Human errors cannot be entirely ruled out in anything that involves people. You can sequentially reduce it, but you cannot completely eliminate it.

“For instance, Lagos is also one of the areas where buildings are collapsing. There are reasons for this, and whenever such incidents occur, the first step is to identify the cause so that similar incidents can be prevented.

“I keep saying every day that the most regulated industry in the world is the airline industry, yet we still experience plane crashes. The accident investigation bodies understand what happened and how to prevent future occurrences, but this is not always the case with building collapses.”

He added, “People often do not care to understand what happened. Sometimes, they blame the individuals in charge.

The state government is taking this matter seriously, knowing that no government has enough personnel to ensure continuous monitoring. We will work with consultants, professional bodies, engineers, architects, builders, and others to address the issue.”