Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State has dispelled the report saying that the collapsed three storey building under construction in Ebonyi belongs to it.
Reacting to the report as published in some media, outlets, the hospital’s head, Corporate Communication and Media, Kelvinerice Udeze, said the report was both distorted and misleading.
Udeze spoke to our reporter on phone on Wednesday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
She explained that the collapsed building, though sharing fence with the hospital, is not located within the hospital land and premises as erroneously reported in some quarters, but belongs to a private individual.
Udeze expressed worries over the report, describing it as embarrassing to the hospital.
She wondered why some journalists fail to properly investigate occurrences before reporting.
Udeze explained: “The land is not ours, and the building not ours too.
“It just happens to be by the side of our fence with clear demarcation, and I wonder why people are reporting that it is in the hospital.
“If such reporters are not careful, they may risk being sued by the hospital for libel.”
Recall that an ongoing three storey building allegedly belonging to a State lawmaker collapsed yesterday in Abakaliki, trapping two persons in the rubble.
The trapped persons have reportedly been rescued and taken to the hospital.
Speaking on the incident, the Commissioner for Capital City and Urban Development, Sunday Inyima and his Works counterpart, Stanley Mbam, described the occurrence as both unfortunate and an embarrassment to the state.
Inyima stated that the building owner did not receive the necessary approvals from his Ministry before erecting the building, describing the location of the little piece of land as unfit for building.
Inyima explained further: “Originally, this is an illegal structure, because the owner of the building came to our ministry and the HOD of works told him that this place is not buildable.
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“And the drawing he gave was not approved, but because this place is overshadowed by the hospital, our monitoring team may not have observed that a building has been going on here.”
The Ebonyi State chairman, Engineering Regulation Monitoring, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Enyinnaya Eni, expressed sadness over the building collapse, describing it as a huge economic loss.
He warned developers in the state against patronising engineering quacks.
