Church Collapse Building Probe: “Withdraw 2 Panel Members”; Anglican Communion Begs Gov. Soludo

FROM CHUKS COLLINS, AWKA

The Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion, (owners of the collapsed Centenary Building at the Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha), which crashed in the early hours of June 12, 2024, has urged the Executive Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo to drop two prominent professionals among the panel he set up to investigate the reason behind the building crash.

The two members, Prof. Akaolisa Ezeagu who chairs the Panel, and Engr. Victor Meju, a key member of the panel was reported to have made prejudiced comments publicly and in publications as regards the collapse of the building.

In a letter to a press statement from the Church late last night, the Governor on behalf of the DMGS Old Boys Association and the Diocese, a team of legal practitioners led by Barrister Nnamdi Ibegbu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Diocesan legal advisers expressed open worry that the public and the Diocese may not get a fair- hearing with these persons, accused of having demonstrated manifest bias and unprofessionalism on the matter even as members of the Panel.

The Legal luminaries cited the Sun Newspaper publication of June 16, 2024, under the column, Voice of the Nation- with the heading “No Approval Given For The Collapsed Onitsha School Building -NBRRI” where Prof. Akaolisa Ezeagu was credited with comments to the conclusion publicly that there was no authorization from any quarters before the gigantic structure was erected.

Akaolisa, according to the Diocese legal counsels had also in the same publication even before the commencement of investigations, attributed the collapse of the building to a poor foundation, which he claimed was a result of a disconnect between the building team and the technical Engineer. 

“Prof. Akaolisa also in the same publication stated that “preliminary investigation points to foundation problem”.

“The Punch Newspaper of 14th June 2024 with headline “Three More Victims Rescued from Anambra Collapsed Building As Probe Begins” Engr. Sir Victor Meju, a Mechanical Engineer, and Chairman Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria(COREN), Anambra State Chapter, in the Newspaper stated that “the collapse could be traced to a faulty foundation and substandard materials used for construction. 

“The approval was given for a two-story building, but the builders decided to add more floors to it.” They added.

The Legal team, therefore, notified the Governor that Prof. Akaolisa and Engr. Meju had acted unprofessionally, having doubted that the duos would give an unbiased decision on the panel’s findings.

Consequently, the Legal team went further and pleaded with the Governor to most respectfully withdraw the two persons from the panel or in the alternative, the two persons be allowed to honorable recuse themselves from the panel, so that natural justice, equity, food conscience, and fairness shall prevail in the deliberation and report of the panel.

They however commended the Governor for setting up the Panel of enquiry to investigate the immediate and remote cause(s) of building collapses in some parts of the state.

The Diocese,  according to the legal team believes that this laudable initiative by the Governor will help ensure utmost professionalism in the construction sector in the state.