DMGS Building Collapse: COREN institutes investigation panel

 The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has set up an investigation panel to unravel the cause of the June 12 collapse of the Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS) Centenary building.

Director of operations, DMGS Situation, Chijioke Ojji who disclosed this in a statement said the management is cooperating fully with the professional panel to seek genuine technical reasons for the unfortunate incident.

He called on the public to avoid social media speculations, but be patient and rely on factual updates, while trusting the engineers and scientists to be diligent in their investigations towards verifiable and scientifically sound conclusions.

The statement partly reads, “Since the collapse of the DMGS Centenary building on June 12, 2024, investigations

have been ongoing by various statutory bodies.

“DMGS and DMGS Centenary are cooperating fully with this professional panel to seek genuine technical reasons for the unfortunate collapse of the building and the regrettable loss of a life.

“In order to provide necessary assurance to the general public, we wish to state the

following indisputable facts concerning the DMGS Centenary building: All proper administrative and technical processes were scrupulously adhered to.

“The building plans approval was sought and obtained from the approving

authority, the Anambra State Physical Planning Board who also carried out

periodic inspections during its construction

“The Architectural design of the building was by a qualified and experienced

architect of good standing and registered with the Architects Registration

Council of Nigeria

“The Structural design of the building was by one of the foremost structural

engineers in Nigeria. He is registered with COREN with extensive and

unimpeachable academic and professional credentials.

“The Construction supervision was by an experienced Structural engineer with

over 30 years of experience.

“The Technical foreman is a qualified engineer with relevant experience currently

completing his MEng degree

“The materials used in the construction underwent a rigorous quality assurance

process including testing by the Anambra State Materials Testing Laboratory,

“We are aware that the identification of the cause for the collapse of a building is a

complex and painstaking evidence-based exercise that will take time.

“It is therefore with incredulity that we receive various press reports containing hasty, false, malicious, and completely unsubstantiated purported conclusions as to the cause.

“Our priority remains the safety of everyone so we share the public’s desire to know the

truth and to prevent future accidents. We therefore urge the public to remain sceptical of these claims, be patient and rely on factual updates.

“We also urge the public to avoid social media speculations but trust that the engineers and scientists will be diligent in their investigation and ultimately come up with verifiable and scientifically sound conclusions.”