From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
The disaster, which struck recently when a school building collapsed in Jos, Plateau State, and took many lives, while several others were seriously injured, was avoidable. It was gathered that students of the school had noticed at some point that the building was not stable but nothing was done about it.
The students were said to have pointed to the fact that 24 hours before the incident, the shaking had become more vigorous, with cracks on the walls already visible.
In fact, the most pungent of these signals was a somewhat innocuous anonymous Facebook post warning proprietors of the school of the dangers the school could pose to the students in days to come.
A group, awhich called itself Anonymous, had in a June 24 post said: “Do not ask how we knew about this but if this exposition is neglected then hundreds of kids would lose their lives at a school in the Plateau region. The school we believe to be known as Academy of Saints in the capital of the Plateau city. In the coming weeks/months? This would eventually happen, if the school authorities do not immediately evacuate all students and work on the school’s building. The building would collapse and many lives would be lost.
“Note that this exposition may be deleted by Facebook as always, you must all take screenshots for reference purposes. We shall remain anonymous as we watch you doubt.”
Indeed, there were many ominous signs that heralded that black Friday. There were stories of students who had complained to their parents that the school building was shaking and refused to go to school that day.
There were stories that children kept drawing the attention of the teachers and the school to the fact that the building was shaking, especially when the population was full. At home, the students would regale their parents and guardians about what they had been noticing in their school.
Cracks and sometimes falling sand on their head, especially when those on the topmost floor were playing. It was also gathered that the issue came up at several Patent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, but no concrete action was taken to address the situation.
It was a tale of woe by students and parents. Both survivors and those who lost loved ones have scary tales to tell.
According to Chidera Dennis, an SS2 student who was lucky to be alive, there were tell-tale signs that all was not well with the building.
Speaking to our correspondent from her hospital bed at the Our Lady of Apostle (OLA) Hospital, Chidera said that, on several occasions, they complained to their teachers about the fact the building was shaking.
“Whenever we are climbing the stairs, we would notice that the building was shaking. Sometimes when we were in the classroom, sand would be falling on our heads,” she said.
On what happened that Friday, Chidera said: “We just sat in the classroom talking, because the teacher just finished teaching and left us. We were just laughing and talking when one of our classmates came and told us that a teacher wanted to take us on a combined class with another class.
“We were about to go out and as I carried my bag and opened the door, the building fell down and I crept under one desk with one girl. She was telling me that I should help her because the deck was on top of her head.
“I shifted her head and put my hand under the desk. Then she said that I should tell her mother that if they saved us, she was going to die. I now told her that she should not say that again that we were going to come out alive, that the Lord is our strength. We were eight inside the class and we lost one of our classmates.”
Another student, Chibuike Obi, said that he was in class with mates and teacher when they heard noise and saw debris falling on them. He said they had no time to run, and some of them tried to take cover under their desks. He explained that he had his head on the table when the deck of the upper floor fell on him
He said: “I was in the class with my classmates and teacher. Then the noise of the building falling started but we couldn’t run. Some people went under their table but my head was on the table so the deck from upstairs fell on my head.”
A teacher in the school, Pastor Daniel, told our correspondent, amid sobs, just as he had accompanied the ambulance that brought the first set of dead and wounded, that they were in class when the entire building came down, trapping many students in the process.
Daniel, who said he teaches Christian Religious Studies, disclosed that many of people rescued were those on top of the building while the majority of the casualties came from those on the ground floor.
He said: “We were just in the class when suddenly the whole building came down on us. We were all confused but I managed to run out through one of the windows.
“My students were shouting and calling on me, ‘Uncle, please help me’, but there was nothing I could do. How can I forgive myself that I was not able to help my students at the time they needed me most? Oh, my God.
“The ones I suspect will be saved are those on the last floor. We don’t know the fate of those on the ground floor.”
A parent whose child died said that, if he had listened to his instincts, his daughter would have been alive.
A Facebook user, Praises Obiora, told the pathetic story of how his friend lost his daughter. He said: “My friend told me that his daughter had a dream where she saw him carrying a small casket and dancing with it on his head.
“He didn’t pay attention to it. He just told her to reject the dream and he took her to school. This morning when he was preparing her for school, she told him she didn’t want to go. But he told her she was having an exam and she needed to go to school. ‘Praises, I talked with my daughter today. We played. Because of how happy I was I gave her N500 for lunch. My daughter entered school. I said I should go shopping. Now see na.'”
Efforts to speak with the bereaved father who lost his only child failed. According to his friend, he is still mourning and did not want to talk.
Mr. and Mrs. Suleiman lost two children, Abdulraheem and Fatima Suleiman.Their mother said that she learnt that they could not escape when the deck fell on them. They were actually the first set of casualties taken to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital from where their remains were taken away a few hours later and buried according to Islamic injunctions.
When journalists encountered them, it was actually a painful moment for the family, residing at Sabon Layi area of Jos North, a few metres from the school, behind the Zaria Road Stadium.
The principal of the school, Mr. Daramola Ekundayo, said: “It’s so pathetic, so unfortunate, and so heartbreaking. I was actually in the office when I was told that the building was collapsing. But the fact is that, as of yesterday, we all departed very well at around 3.30pm without any problem. And nobody actually had the knowledge that such a thing would happen. So, it’s so unfortunate that it happened.
“When it happened, I was actually not there. So, the moment I was alerted, I ran. I came to ascertain exactly what happened. But you know, of course, at that particular time, the momentum was not even there.
“I was shattered and battered. I ran from every side. I wasn’t just myself. As a matter of fact, I was crying because it’s so pathetic, so heartbreaking.”
He said that, at the time of the incident, there were not fewer than 200 students in about five classrooms
For those whose children missed death by the whisker, it was purely a case of luck and divine intervention.
Innocent Ezeife was lucky and counted that day as one of his luckiest as his two children escaped when the building tumbled down
He said: “I have my children here. So, when I heard about the incident I ran to the school. As I was running, I saw smoke. I was wondering if the school was using gas. When I was at the block, I discovered this was a collapse. I started crying because my children were there. I started crying, pleading with God, asking him for peace.”
Another parent, Ann Onyebuchi, said: “I was in the house when my second son called me that my daughter’s school building had collapsed. I started running from Utan. I ran down to the place because I was confused. When I came and saw what it was, it was devastating. I could not control myself. Fortunately, my daughter is in SS2A and her class is off from the part that collapsed.”
Mrs. Okoye, a widow, was also lucky as her three children came out alive. Only Chibuike was admitted at the OLA Hospital with bruises on his face.
Yet another parent, Peace, whose daughter survived, said she came out to ease herself and on coming out from the toilet she saw the building started shaking and ran out immediately. She accused the management of over-populating the school with students.
“The population of this school is too much and it’s the best school so far. But the structure of the building was something we did not know,” she said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, in his first reaction, ordered the demolition of the remaining portion. Speaking while on a visit to the site, the governor ordered that the school should be sealed off.
He told newsmen that a total of 22 students lost their lives while 132 others sustained injuries and were treated at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Bingham University Teaching Hospital and Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) Hospital.
Apart from declaring three days of mourning, the governor also said that the government would bear the cost of treatment of all the victims. He described the incident as avoidable and chided the management for using poor materials to construct the school.
The governor also directed the police to arrest anybody found mining in the city centre.
Mutfwang expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, describing the tragedy as unfortunate but avoidable.
He extended his gratitude to the National Emergency Management Agency, Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, the Nigerian Red Cross, and Plateau residents for their swift response, stating that their timely intervention prevented a higher casualty count.
He said: “As of this morning, we have lost 22 lives. Many are still hospitalized. We thank God that the casualties were not higher, as many final-year students were absent from school that day. This is why, upon taking office, we signed Executive Order 003 to sanitize the city and prevent such catastrophes.
“We are not out to punish anyone or be vindictive. We aim to ensure we live in a civilized society, obeying rules and regulations. This school will remain closed, and we will investigate the cause of the collapse. Our scrutiny will extend to all schools to ensure safety.”
He stated that public schools would also be inspected, and government processes would be reviewed to maintain integrity.
“Many buildings in this city were constructed without proper plans. We will enforce compliance with town planning laws. Those with houses along riverbanks are warned that we will ensure a safe distance between rivers and residences,” he stated.