By Bassey Anthony, Uyo
The Akwa Ibom State government has been criticised over its delay in implementing the recommendations contained in the White Paper presented to it by the Commission of Enquiry on the 2016 Reigners’ Bible Church collapse in Uyo.
Recall that the church building caved in in December 2016 during the Archbishopric installation of its founder, Apostle Akan Weeks.
About 100 people were suspected to have been killed and many others injured in the incident but the state government reported 40 deaths.
Governor Udom Emmanuel, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, escaped death by the whiskers following which a Commission of Enquiry was set up to investigate the incident and make recommendations.
However, four years after, nothing has been heard of the implementation of the White Paper resulting in outcries by victims and relatives of people who died in the tragic incident.
The National Coordinator, Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community and lawyer who represented the victims, Mr Clifford Thomas said the outcome of the Commission of Enquiry was a sad reminder of the failure of the government to guarantee the welfare of its people.
Thomas stated that four years after the incident which claimed about 100 lives and left many injured, the government has failed to give succour to many of those affected.
He explained that the N3.5 million that was raised to support the victims was through voluntary donations from the public, adding that some of the victims who had serious injuries were later sent out of the government hospital, Ibom Multi-Specialist, where they were treated by the hospital management.
He said those affected had to resort to traditional methods to treat themselves, saying they were too poor and afraid to challenge the government for exonerating Apostle Akan Weeks, whom he claimed was responsible for the tragedy.
“As a lawyer representing the estate of the deceased and those who were injured, we did our best to reach out to them, we defended them.
“We tried to amplify the fact that the government ought to care by virtue of Chapter two of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the primary purpose of government is the welfare and security of people.
“It is only Planet FM that came to their rescue. Planet FM set up a committee and made me the Chairman of that committee, and we were able to identify those who died. To those who died, we gave N100, 000, and I think we had N3.5 million in all.
“The money came from donations; Planet FM appealed to people through their medium. The Chief Executive Officer of Planet FM, Mr Tony Afia put money down and people began to contribute. That is the first goodwill measure I have seen in this state that is devoid of politics. It was based on human interest,” he stated.
On whether the victims were willing to seek redress in court on the matter, Thomas said: “They are not; they are poor people. What we did was free. For the whole of that period, even the personal monies we gave were free. How long can somebody offer free services?
“It is a human rights matter. Whoever comes up right now and says I want to go to court, we are ready to take up the matter for them, no matter the intimidation.
“In Akwa Ibom, we don’t have the pedigree of pursuing matters in court. We don’t have the pedigree of doing litigations. We can only make noise at the Magistrate’s or High Court level but we hardly go to the Court of Appeal.
“A lot of them believe that if we go to court against the government, the government will go after them and kill them. They have fears but we are always ready.
“We want the government to review the report of the commission. Let the government reach out to the people.
“Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community is calling for the review of the report of the Commission of Enquiry into the Reigners’ Bible Church collapse to accommodate those who died, those who were left behind and those who were injured,” he maintained.
Chairman, Civil Liberties Organisation in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Franklyn Isong said the government was biased in the White Paper released by the Commission of Enquiry.
Isong, who said the CLO monitored the sitting of the Commission in Uyo, however, gave credit to members of the panel for doing a ‘thorough work.’
“Let me inform you that the White Paper was issued but the government hid the report and excused Akan Weeks. The government rather indicted the Engineers who carried out the construction of the building.
“As far as the CLO is concerned, Apostle Akan Weeks is the owner of the structure and the place was marked for demolition by the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA).
“Apostle Weeks covered up the demolition marking and continued the erection of the building. That place was a swampy area and was not fit for such a project. But when the White Paper Report was released, the government absolved Apostle Weeks.
“The Panel reports came out very clearly that Apostle Akan Weeks is the owner of the building. He engaged the Engineers who gave him professional advice, alleging some structural defects on the building.
“But he said they should go ahead, build on that building, and even put up pillars in the middle of the building as support, which the engineers advised that should be removed. This, the engineers said during the Panel sitting. When the reports came out, the government excused and absolved Apostle Akan Weeks of any indictment but invented something and indicted only the engineers.
“Justice Umoekoyo Essang-led Panel of Enquiry did a thorough job. He came out with a clean report but the reports did not mention the number of people who died, which is what we were asking for because there was an issue with the figure of people that died. Some said 400, others 300 people,” he explained.
The Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr Ini Ememobong said the government is yet to get any request for a review.
“The White Paper is the government’s position on the report. So, if they are seeking a review, are they seeking a review of the report or the White Paper? These are technical and administrative issues.
“The White Paper is the position on the report, while the report is the foundation, and the White Paper is the building on top of the foundation. As far as I am aware, we have not been notified of any request for a review,” he said.
The Commissioner said: “We must look at the administrative procedure involved. For a White Paper to come out, it followed a procedure. For those seeking, we must check what the administrative procedure is,” he explained.
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