The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has directed the FCT Development Control Department to take full responsibility for building plan approvals and construction supervision in the territory in accordance with extant regulations.
The minister gave this directive in reaction to the building collapse incident at Gwarinpa on Monday, a statement signed by the minister’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Hazat Sule, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.
He reminded the department that the directive was in line with the provisions of Section 7, Sub-section 1-3 of the FCT Act of 1976 and Part II, Section 27-41 of the Nigeria Urban & Regional Planning Law of 1992 amended in 1999.
The law stipulates that no person or body is authorised to carry out any development within the FCT without the written approval of the FCT Department of Development Control.
Bello also directed the department to ensure that the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) that approved and was supervising the collapsed building, and other stakeholders in mass housing development sub-sector in the FCT henceforth, adhered strictly to all regulations on property development in the territory.
According to the statement, the minister said further that the FCT Administration would no longer ignore the construction of buildings on flood plains and would take necessary measures to correct the anomalies.
While sympathising with the victims of the incident, the minister said that human lives often lost in such circumstance could be avoided, if simple urban and regional regulations were strictly followed.
He emphasised that his administration would not fold its arms to watch the wanton waste of lives, stressing that human life was sacred and must be protected.
