Building Collapse: FCTA to Foot Victims’ Medical Bills

By: Wisdom Acka
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will take care of medical bills for treatment of all victims affected by the collapsed building.
Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, directed that free medical treatment be provided for those injured in the two-storey building that collapsed on Lagos Street in Garki II, Abuja
Abuja Digest recall that in the early hours of Thursday, two persons were reportedly dead while 37 others were rescued after a two storey building collapsed.
Wike also directed the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola, to immediately make funds available to foot the bills of those injured.
The Minister, who stated this when he visited the site of the scene along with the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud regretted stated: “It is unfortunate that we woke this morning to the very disturbing news of this building collapse”, even as he applauded rescue efforts.
His words: “It is not what we contemplated. Let me thank the agencies particularly NEMA and FEMA that have supported us to rescue not less than 32 lives. Its unfortunate that we lost two lives.
“I will appeal to the Permanent Secretary to make sure that funds are raised to pay the hospital bills of those, who were rescued so that we don’t lose any more person, and this should be done immediately,” he said.
“These are the things we have been saying, nobody knows whose turn it will be, therefore, when government says it will take actions in areas we believe there are illegal developments or buildings that don’t comply with the standard codes. It is not as if anybody has any personal vendetta, but for me, it is for us to do the right thing,” he added.
“I don’t know why it has taken long that the FCTA has not resettled them and so we will take immediate action to see that the indigenes of these place are resettled and then government has to plan out this place,” the Minister stressed.
“When government says take building plan, it is not to suffer anybody but to make sure that everyone is protected. Cities are planned to forestall this kind of occurrences. Imagine buildings without approval. I will ask that we must identify and arrest the owner of this property,” Wike emphasized.
“It’s very important. Government will, of course, take over this area and make sure no further development is carried out here”, he stated.