The Gombe State Deputy Governor, Manassah Jatau, accompanied by the Secretary to Government of Gombe State, Professor Ibrahim Njodi and other top government officials, on Monday inspected the collapsed section of the ongoing construction of Gombe State House of Assembly Complex in Gombe Metropolis.
The delegation was received at the project site by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works,Housing and Transport, Danladi Adamu, who briefed the delegation on the incident.
He explained that the contract for the construction of the Assembly Complex was awarded to BMC Multi Concept in 2024, adding that the collapse affected only the canopy of the structure and did not compromise the integrity of the main building.
Danladi Adamu disclosed that eight people were involved in the incident, “with one person losing his life and seven others sustained injuries, five of whom have been treated and discharged, while the remaining two are receiving treatment in Federal Teaching Hospital,Gombe and responding positively,” he added.
Speaking during the inspection, the Deputy Governor appreciated the openness demonstrated by the contracting firm in explaining the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
He said transparency has remained a hallmark of the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and assured that the incident would be subjected to a comprehensive integrity test and technical investigation to determine its immediate and remote causes.
“Government has opened up to all experts and engineering companies to come and precisely identify what could have caused this and how to rectify it. Unlike in some places where a wall would have been raised to conceal it, Gombe is a transparent state, and we have allowed the structure to be subjected to an integrity test,” Dr. Jatau said.
Jatau noted that since the inception of the present administration in 2019, the state government has executed numerous capital projects across Gombe State without recording a similar tragedy.
He said the lessons from the incident would further strengthen quality assurance on government projects.
Quoting the Catastrophic Theory of Change, which states that “if something is destroyed, what comes after is better,” Dr. Jatau expressed optimism that the corrected version of the structure would be stronger and better than before and urged the contractor to strictly adhere to the recommendations of experts to ensure the project is completed to the required standard and within schedule.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, the Deputy Governor condoled the family of the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of those receiving treatment.
The Site Engineer, Architect Ime Umo, and the contractor, George Bumarun of BMC Multi Concept, expressed regret over the unfortunate incident, attributing the collapse to a failure that occurred during the concreting process.
They extended their condolences to the family of the deceased, the Gombe State Government, the people of the state and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured, pledging to rectify the identified fault in line with professional engineering standards.
The inspection formed part of the state government’s efforts to obtain firsthand information on the incident and reaffirm its commitment to transparency, accountability, quality assurance, and the safety of workers on all public infrastructure projects across Gombe State.
The delegation later visited the injured receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, where the Chief Medical Director, Dr Yusuf Abdullahi, alongside Dr Emmanuel Lakobbe, informed the delegation that the patients were in stable condition and responding well to treatment.
The delegation also paid a condolence visit to the family of the deceased, Abubakar Sadiq Gidado , at their residence in Bolari Quarters, Gombe metropolis.
Njodi, conveyed the sympathy of the Government and the people of the Gómbe state over the unfortunate incident.
He described late Abubakar Sadiq as a hero who died while pursuing a legitimate means of livelihood and noted that death is the inevitable end of every mortal and occurs according to the will of God.
Professor Njodi urged the family to accept the loss as an act of God.
He further observed that, in a period marked by insecurity and uncertainty, it is a blessing for a family to recover and give a dignified burial to their loved ones.
He prayed for God to grant the family the strength and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
It could be recalled that Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, immediately after the incident, directed that a thorough investigation be conducted to determine the cause of the collapse of the Assembly Complex under construction.