The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has commenced investigation into the collapse of an ongoing 100-room, four-storey hotel building in Enugu.
THE WHISTLER reports that the building, located on Independence Layout, Enugu, collapsed on September 13, 2026. A labourer reportedly died in the incident with many others seriously injured, it was learnt.
A 15- member Project Investigation, Failure and Collapse Analysis (PIFCA) of the NSE, Enugu State Council, led by Dr Victor Chiwuzie, went for the assessment of the site of the collapse on Thursday.
According to Chiwuzie, the visit is to ascertain the likely factors that led to the collapse, proffer solutions, and apportion blame as a way to prevent further recurrence.
He said, “We are here to find out where it happened, what happened, and whether it is the fault of the design, or a construction problem. We want to ascertain what exactly happened so that in future such lapses will be checked. We need to find out who is responsible for the failure, whether it was professionally handled or people are just taking things for granted. The problem now is that sometimes people just start construction work without any proper engineering expertise being involved in the construction of the projects.”
The leader of the committee also reacted to reports that those that were executing the work are on the run.
According to Chiwuzie, “Such is not acceptable to us because they can be found. We know exactly what is the quality of the materials they are using on site. If, at the beginning, the right calibre of staff were deployed to this project, this collapse wouldn’t have happened. All the money being spent now could have been used for other things. You wouldn’t have spent half of it paying an engineer to ensure that you start the work well.
“This is why we want to see the process, so that we know exactly what happened. We want to Know the quality of materials being used. You can see some of the beams look like broomsticks. So, where were they used? This is the thing we need to find out. We need to see the people who are involved so we will be able to draw a conclusion from previous experiences. Many of us have been in practice for the past 50 years.”
He affirmed the commitment of the committee towards the accomplishment of the given assignment.
The state Chairman of the NSE, Loveday Osondu, stated that the incident underscored the consequences of engineering decisions towards human safety and economic waste. Osondu called on engineers to remain committed to competence, integrity, accountability, and strict adherence to professional standards.
In his words, “We extend our concern to everyone affected by this unfortunate incident and commend the emergency responders and relevant agencies involved in managing the situation. Let this incident serve as a renewed call for collective responsibility among government authorities, developers, contractors, engineers, and all professionals in the built environment.”
He assured that NSE, Enugu State Chapter, would contribute its technical knowledge and professional expertise towards ensuring safer construction practices and more reliable infrastructure throughout Enugu State.
Quoting him, “Every building must be designed properly, constructed responsibly, supervised professionally, and made safe for their intended use.”
