Obi sympathizes with victims of Onitsha building collapse, preaches compliance to standards

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last general election, has consoled the families of those killed in a market collapse in Onitsha on Monday night.

Obi, in a press release issued by his media assistant, Mr Valentine Obineme, expressed regret over the deaths while urged the public to carefully follow engineering and architectural regulations for their own safety.

On Monday night, a block of stores still under construction at Ochanja Market in Onitsha collapsed, killing about six people and rescuing around 20 others.

Obi said: “I firmly believe that building collapses will be a thing of the past if we adhere to standards and procedures. Only trained, licensed, and professional personnel should handle building projects, and materials must meet project specifications.”

He lamented the tragic loss of lives and injuries sustained in the incident, emphasizing that the victims were individuals striving to make ends meet.

He expressed gratitude to those involved in rescuing trapped victims, and called on the state government to investigate the root cause of the collapse.