On July 12, 2024, tragedy struck. At least 22 persons, many of them students, were confirmed dead and about 132 others injured when a section of The Saint Academy school building collapsed in Jos, Plateau State. The students and teachers were in the classes for the third term examination when the incident occurred.
The tragedy exposed the sorry state of our disaster management, especially the availability of modern and effective working tools during such incidents. When it happened, people had to use bare hands and shovels to remove victims from under the rubble. It is a miracle that many were rescued this way before an excavator came.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang ordered for the immediate closure of the school; a two-storey school building located in the Busa Buji community of Jos North Local Government Area of the state. Speaking during the inspection of the site a day after, the governor said the incident could have been averted if the owners of the school had complied with building laws. "It is unfortunate that this has happened but, of course, we cannot allow the school to function. We are going to bring in building professionals to investigate this, and anyone found culpable will certainly face the wrath of the law," he added.
Meanwhile, an investigation carried out by the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) attributed the cause of the building collapse to substandard materials and poor construction work. The NBRRI Director General, Samson Duna, said, following the incident, they had constituted a committee headed by a professor in the University of Jos, to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the building collapse. Mr Duna said the committee's preliminary investigation "discovered that the quantity of concrete was in doubt because there was no bond between the concrete and the steel reinforcement. The slab reinforcement anchorage provided was inadequate, and the sizes of the footing (foundation) provided were less than the required number of 1,200mm x 1,200mm."
There are however some who have attributed the collapse of the school to mining activities being carried out in the area. The principal of the school, Daramola Akindele, who said he inspects the school compound daily, noted that the building did not show any signs before the collapse.
It is unfortunate that recently, we have been experiencing cases of building collapse across the country with harrowing effects.
Daily Trust's investigation shows that in the first six months of this year, 20 of such incidents were recorded with 42 dead and 207 injured (including that of the school in Jos).
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As we await the comprehensive report on the investigation, Daily Trust sends its condolences to parents, guardians and all those affected by this tragedy. Those lost can never be replaced but the authorities should find a way to compensate them.
Children go to school to learn from their teachers, while the teachers are also there to impart knowledge. The school environment is a place where both the student and the teacher should feel safe.
Thus, we call on the governor to, forthwith, commence the technical audit of private and public schools to test the integrity of their buildings as he promised. Building permits must also be reviewed so that anyone found wanting should be prosecuted.
The innocent lives lost could have been averted if the government had fulfilled its responsibility of proper licensing of all schools, both public and private, by way of ensuring that buildings complied with the laid-down standards, with a good environment suitable for teaching and learning. Regular inspection of schools by the appropriate authority, or in some cases the quality assurance departments, is imperative.
There should be a check by relevant officials to ensure specifications are thoroughly followed. Town planning authorities should maintain and have adequate and competent professionals and provide necessary training for design approval. Development control departments in cities and states must be on their toes in checking building plan violations and regulating development.
The Jos school building collapse investigation must be thorough. Government must pursue the investigation to a logical conclusion to forestall future recurrence. All those found wanting must be punished. This is the only way that those innocent lives cut-short at their prime will get justice.
