Akwa Ibom Church Collapse: Arc. Abimbola Oke, who Designed Church Building, Says Reigners Church Refused to pay for his services, hence he didn't supervise the project.

Commission Of Inquiry: AKAN WEEKS SUFFERS HUMILIATION, As Abimbola Oke, Uwem Okoko Testify 

With regards to Apostle Akan Weeks’s and Anietie Ndarake’s respective testimonies to the Commission of Inquiry that Arc. Abimbola Oke was under obligation to draw architectural designs

 

 and supervise the construction of the failed Reigners Church building while Engr. Uwem Okoko served as contractor in charge of the project, the two professionals have told the investigative panel

point blank on Monday that they were not engaged by Reigners Church to play the job roles as claimed.

Arc. Abimbola Oke, who is the chairman of Akwa Ibom State chapter of Nigerian Institute of Architects, admitted to the commission that he did produced the architectural designs of the church auditorium worth N11.5 million free of charge for the Reigners Bible Church but he did not supervise the construction because there was no way he could have done so without financial charges. “I did not supervise the project. If I had to supervise, there were certain things that could have been put in place. There would have been defined terms and conditions. 

I wouldn’t have supervised that magnitude of project free of charge.” Arc. Abimbola Oke testified.

 At the submission of the architectural drawings to the church, Arc. Oke, who is also a lecturer in the Architecture Department in University of Uyo, told the commission that he declined the request of Apostle Akan Weeks to handle the supervision of the proposed church building in the presence of Engr. Uwem Okoko who is the Managing Director of Hensek Construction Company as well as the church building committee chairman who instantly opposed the offer to engage him in the project supervision. “When I submitted the drawings, I advised that three out of four copies be sent to authorities, while one should be kept for implementation. 

Then Apostle Akan Weeks asked if I could supervise the project in the presence of Uwem Okoko and the church building committee chairman. That was when the committee chairman flared up and said that they are going to build their church by themselves. “Moreso, I had committed myself to some other projects coupled with my lecturing job and so I couldn’t have had time to even supervise the work.” said Arc. Oke. 

In his memorandum tendered to the Commission of Inquiry, Arc. Abimbola Oke stressed that the architectural design submitted by him to Apostle Weeks was not implemented in the building process. 

As stated in the memorandum, “Apostle Dr. Akan Weeks and the building committee of the Reigners Church opted to choose various adjusted building proposals submitted to the church by the professionals.” 

 In the memo, special request was made to the commission to visit the site of the proposed Reigners church building at Uyo Village Road in order to reconcile the fact on ground with the building designs submitted to the church. Engr. Uwem Okoko, who testified earlier, told the panel that Arc. Oke was not engaged by Apostle Weeks to supervise the construction of the building. “To the best of my knowledge, Akan Weeks did not enter into agreement with Arc. Abimbola Oke for supervision.” Okoko said. 

During his testimony to the investigative panel, Uwem Okoko of Hensek Construction Company said that his company only specializes in road construction and not in building. He maintained that he was not a contractor of the failed church building as Akan Weeks and Anietie Ndarake claimed in their respective testimonies, rather his company was handling landscaping at the site of the building. “We did landscaping for the church at the request of Akan Weeks. 

The roofing had commenced before we started the landscaping. “The external topography of the church was undulating and difficult for vehicles to drive in smoothly. “We cut the hill, moved the laterite to fill the depressed portion, and compact it. We also created a drive way around the church premises” Engr. Okoko said. He also revealed to the commission that he had donated Akan Weeks’s church about 1800 bags of cement as his personal contribution to the building project. Okoko, who said he is a deacon in Living Faith Church (Winners’ Chapel), said he introduced Arc. Abimbola Oke who happen to be a pastor in his church and one Engr. Lawi Stephen, the roof designer to Akan Weeks. 

Meanwhile, Apostle Akan Weeks had earlier testified that he noticed that the duo of Oke and Okoko are amongst the best professionals around, and for that reason, he engaged them for the construction of the church auditorium that collapsed recently. 

By UbongAbasi Ise