The Enugu State Government through the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECDTA) has sealed the state headquarters of popular Pentecostal church, the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement.
The action, according to ECDTA was to forestall likely casualty from the imminent collapse of the structure as it was built on the waterway and has been ravaged by flood.
Speaking on the development, the Executive Chairman of ECTDA, Dr. Josef Onoh, explained that the decision to seal the church was to save lives and property and avoid a recurrence of building collapse in the state.
He revealed that ECDTA has equally directed the leadership of the church to immediately liaise with the state chapter of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) to assess the level of damage done by the flood and recommend appropriate engineering measures to be applied to fortify the church.
According to him there has been a public outcry, especially from residents living at the bank of Ekulu River, G.R.A, adjacent to The Lord’s Chosen Church, over the imminent danger posed by the worship centre, which was built on the waterway, on their property.
“The ECTDA had served “Stop-work” and “Remove” notices on the ongoing construction work at the premises of the church, which were ignored completely until the recent havoc that wrecked the foundation of the church building to the point of imminent collapse,” he noted.
He expressed concern over the spate of construction works on the waterway and without building approvals and their imminent dangers and appealed to residents to always adhere strictly to rules and regulations guiding structural development in the state, in order to save lives and avert damage to property.