It caught my attention. All of a sudden. At first, I thought it was a wall clock. On further scrutiny, it turned out to be a stop watch —meant to show the time allotted for every segment of the service at the Daystar Christian Centre, Oregun, Lagos. I had marveled at how everything seemed to be well-organised at the church. Now, I know better. Thanks to my vantage position last Sunday.
At the end of each segment, the stop watch screen beams ‘Time up’. Even for respected Pastor Sam Adeyemi. It reinforces the Biblical saying: ‘There is time for everything under the sun.’
As I hailed this practice of keeping to time, my mind went to Akwa Ibom State. Three days earlier, the state government had announced that it was now ready to punish those behind the Reigners Bible Church Int’l Inc tragedy of December 2016.
This space has screamed many a time asking that for an end to be put to avoidable tragedy in our society, those responsible for the church building caving in on a day it was to be opened for public use must be brought to book. The government set up a committee. It turned in its report. Months sped by and I wondered if the matter was going to be swept under the carpet. I felt time was running out and the offenders might develop wings and fly away. I strongly felt it would be a disservice to the memory of the dead for heads not to roll over the avoidable tragedy.
With its expression of interest last week in punishing the offenders, it is now time for the offenders to pay for their sins against humanity.
It all began like a joke that day. There was music in the air. Banters were thrown. Hands were plumped. It promised to be a glorious day. The founder of the church was to have his ordination as a bishop. He is not a small fry. So, the church was jam-packed. Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel came with some of his commissioners and aides. Some of the commissioners were new in the State Executive Council. They were sworn in on December 1, 2016.
Thirty minutes into the governor’s arrival hell literally came down. No thanks to human error, the church’s iron pillars gave way and the blue roofs came thumping down. Of course on people! An account even said someone was cut into two by the iron pillars. A policeman who reportedly saved the governor is now six feet below. And some others broke their necks, their limbs and their back. The founder of the church, Pastor Akan Weeks, had his leg broken. The contractor flee after doing a job the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) described as shoddy.
Till now, we know not the identities of the victims. Over 20 people died. Joseph Effiom is the face of a tragedy in a place where fear should have been the last thing on anyone’s mind. Effiom could not cheat death when it came calling. This polytechnic student, a friend said, “was one of the first three brilliant chaps in my class”. Thanks to Effiom’s classmates who revealed her identity, she would have died anonymously!
Those who sustained all kinds of injuries and received treatment in hospitals were given as 168. Out patients were 50. Hospitals, such as the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Ibom Specialist Hospital Uyo, Sifon Clinic, Life Care Clinic, Premiers Clinic, St Luke’s Hospital, Gateway Medical Centre, Uwah Mfon Clinic, First Line Clinic and Alma Clinic and Surgery had hectic time attending to survivors.
Emmanuel’s men who crawled out of death’s hole had scary tales to share. Chief Press Secretary Ekerette Udoh miraculously escaped an iron rod cutting his neck, but it eventually hit him on the back. The cap of his left knee was broken.
Commissioner for Information Charles Udoh was on his way out of the church to catch a flight when tragedy struck. He would have been out but protocol demanded that he told the governor before vanishing from the church hall. It was this protocol-induced task he was accomplishing when death almost took him away like Effiom and the others whose names we may never know. He had to run here and there to prevent the iron pillars from turning him to a candidate for the mortuary.
Nollywood actor Ekere Nkanga, who had acted almost all roles imaginable, had to wade through bodies to safety. He hid under some people. As he tried to get up, the body of a man cut into two fell on him. There were bodies around him. He managed not to have a direct impact with falling rods, but he later discovered his neck was broken. He had to wear a neck collar for weeks and was under observation in the hospital.
In the wake of the tragedy, Pastor Weeks had likened the incident to the devil fighting back and he urged Christians to unite and fight it. I beg to disagree. Some people did not do what they were expected to do. Now, I am glad government is set to bring them to book.
On July 7, last year, while receiving the probe report from Justice Umoekoyo Essang, who chaired the panel, the governor said: “I want to thank you for this great job that you have done and to assure you once again that the recommendations of this report would be taken seriously. We would do everything to implement and prevent future occurrence of this tragedy. May this affliction never occur the second time”.
My final take: We will sure keep tab to ensure Governor Emmanuel walk the talk and truly do everything to implement the Justice Umoekoyo Essang recommendations to prevent future occurrence of the Uyo church tragedy because only that will ensure the affliction never occur again. The victims deserve nothing less. Time should be really up for the guilty and they should pay for bringing death, sorrow, tears and blood on their people.
