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Tag: Lagos Island

  • Lagos Island chair disburses palliatives

    Lagos Island chair disburses palliatives

    By Koribat Oshineye

    The Chairman of Lagos Island Local Government, Prince Tijani Adetoyese Olusi, has distributed more palliatives to residents and marketers in the council.

    The programme, held at the Oluwole Car Park, saw a massive turnout, and had medical experts on ground to conduct check-ups for the recipients and administer drugs where necessary.

    Supervisor for Agric/Youth and Sport, Ibrahim Dawodu, hailed the council boss whom he described as the man of the people, adding that he has sustained lives after the fuel subsidy removal.

    Former Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs Oyinlomo Danmole appreciated the efforts of Prince Olusi in packaging the food items at this crucial time, and barely a month after the previous distribution.

    Danmole enjoined him to make it a regular programme for the people, stating that in as much as he appreciated other infrastructure development, stomach infrastructure was paramount.

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    The APC leader on Lagos Island, Alhaji A. G. O. Sodiq, advised that distribution of palliatives should not be centred in one location, adding that about a week ago, relief materials also came from the state and had been distributed to various wards/leaders.

    The Deputy Chairman, APC, Moshood Mayegun, said the distribution was a landmark achievement in the administration of Olusi.

    He assured everyone that there was light at the end of the tunnel, giving kudos to the council chief for taking the bull by the horn and heeding to the call of the people.

    He appealed to everyone to be patient and trust in the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, assuring that the nation would experience transformation very soon.

    Olusi appreciated Lagos monarch Oba Rilwan Aremu Akiolu, the elders present, the Vice Chairman, Moh’d Rosul Eshilokun, whom he referred to as a loyal and dependable deputy, the Executive, Legislative and management members for their support.

    The package which contained yam, beans, rice, garri, yam fFlour, vegetable oil, palm oil, and ground pepper was distributed in four different locations – Aroloya, Isale Eko, Idumota (Eyin Eyo) and Oluwole.

  • It’s over with Lagos Island!

    IT will be difficult to know that the trio of Mrs Kofoworola Ayeni, Ibidunni Ayeni and Modinat Lawal had hugged grief barely almost a month ago when their house on Ita Faaji Street, Lagos Island, collapsed on March 15. As the trio sat on the foyer of their apartment at the Centre for Displaced Persons established by the Lagos State Government and managed by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) at Igando, a Lagos suburb, chattering and laughing, there was nothing to suggest that they were victims of the tragic incident that shook Lagos to its foundation.

    The trio has a common history of loss in the tragic incident. While Kofoworola lost her brother’s wife, Ibidunnni lost her mother, while Modinat’s husband did not come out of the rubble alive. Although they claimed they were initially shattered by the tragic incident, their lives have since been on the rebound, following their relocation to the centre where they are receiving adequate care, courtesy of the state government.

    “We are well treated here by government officials. They give us good meals three times every day. As a matter of fact, we just had a bowl of cooked yam and sauce,” said Kofoworola.

    Ironically, 57-year-old Kofoworola and others had protested their relocation to the centre on the wrong assumption that the facility was tucked inside a bush or jungle, hence they would rather prefer to squat somewhere on the Island.

    “We didn’t want to come o,” said Kofoworola with emphasis. “At the mention of Igando, we erroneously thought that this place would be a bush or a thick forest, and we did not want to leave city life for a village or country side community. So, we initially hesitated because we had never been to Igando before.

    “We thought that this place would be a jungle or a forest of sort when it was mentioned as the place we would be relocated to. Even my cousin here (pointing to Ibidunni), who is also a victim of collapsed building, vowed never to come here, but I urged her to let us accept it as our fate, particularly because we have no other place to live. We lost our home and belongings to the incident.” Interestingly, the reluctant victims now speak so highly of the comfort they enjoy at the centre and how they are adjusting to life outside of Lagos Island.

    “But I must tell you that we have never for once regretted coming over to this place. Officials of this centre have been so nice to us. The way they treat us and attend to our needs has been very superb. We eat good meals three times every day and live comfortably with regular power supply. May God continue to bless the state government and all officials deployed here to attend to our welfare.”

    Ibidunni, 27, who lost her ailing mother in the incident, recalled how she narrowly cheated death when she was brought out from the rubble of the collapsed building.

    She said: “I worked as a cleaner somewhere on the mainland, and I was preparing to go to work in the morning on the day of the incident. My aunt had just taken my younger brother to his school in the neighbourhood.

    “I had just given my mother her breakfast and went to the balcony of our apartment on the second floor when the building suddenly started sinking. Before I knew it, the building had crashed on me while I was talking to someone at the balcony.

    “But for a metal container that landed on me under the rubble, I would have died. I was among the very first persons to be rescued by emergency workers, but I sustained injuries from the incident.

    “Unfortunately, my ailing mother, who was inside her room when the building collapsed, died. I could no longer continue the work I was doing before the incident, because I am yet to get over the shock or trauma of my mother’s tragic death.

    “I lost everything I had to the incident, and it was sympathisers that clothed me. But I thank God for being alive. My wounds are healing fast and I have hoped that all will be well with me soon.”

    When the state government announced that it was relocating victims of the disaster to its relief centre at Igando, Ibidunni had refused, vowing never to come over to the centre. But on a second thought, she visited the facility and fell in love with the place.

    “I had vehemently refused to relocate to this place when it was mentioned that we would be moved to Igando. I felt that we were being taken into a bush. I was shocked that the ambience of this centre is very cool and habitable.

    “The only thing we miss is the chaotic social life in Lagos Island. Life is rough over there but we are cool here. My other siblings are also here but they have gone to Lagos Island to work. We have no regrets coming here at all because officials of the centre have been so nice to us. We eat well and live fine here.”

    Like Kofoworola and Ibidunni, Modinat Lawal and her children also escaped death by a whisker. But she lost her husband. That fateful morning, her husband, a bouncer by profession, returned home, complaining of headache and body pain. Lawal dashed out to get some drugs for him but did not meet him alive. Before she returned home with the drugs, the house had collapsed and killed her husband alongside other victims.

    “Until the incident, I was trading in footwear and cosmetics,” she said. “I lost my husband in the incident. He was a club bouncer. He returned home that day and complained of body pains and headache. He asked me to get him some drugs at a nearby pharmacy. Unfortunately, by the time I returned from the errand, the house had collapsed. He was brought out of the rubble lifeless in the evening with his legs and arms severely fractured.

    “I had three children for my husband. My first daughter is preparing to write the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam and she is currently staying with one of my husband’s siblings in Lagos Island.

    “I lost my ware and belongings. I had only N200 when I was moved to this facility. I must confess that we are well taken care of here. We feed well and enjoy regular water and electricity supply. But what I need now is money to restart my business and resettle in a relatively good apartment.”

    At the relief camp, there are others who were evacuated from some distressed buildings in Lagos Island. One of them is Shamsideen Onibudo, a plumber, who until his relocation to the camp lived at 49/51 Apatira Street, Lagos Island.

    “Our building was distressed and we were asked to relocate to this facility. We were hurriedly evacuated from the three-storey building before it was demolished. I had gone to work for a client when government officials came in a bus and moved other occupants to this relief camp. I joined the camp a day after.

    “My children are living with one of my family members because their school is in Lagos Island. I don’t want to relocate them to this place to avoid stopping them from going to school.”

    Onibudo’s neighbour, Qudus Adetimpe, a caterer, who claimed to have lost his job tool and personal belongings in the wake of the demolition exercise, was overwhelmed with emotion while narrating his experience to The Nation.

    He said: “I was not at home when our building was demolished. I had gone out to honour a business appointment when government officials evacuated other occupants from the building. I found my barbeque equipment under the rubble damaged and I cried.

    “Luckily for me, I found a bag containing some of my dresses under the rubble, and that saved me from walking about naked.

    “The building had shown signs of distress. We had thought that we would be given some time to sort out ourselves, but government officials didn’t accept on the ground that our case was an emergency.”

     

    Other victims narrate experience

    Tears rolled down the cheeks of Maria Adeyemo when The Nation approached her for a chat. The fair complexioned woman was yet to overcome the grief of losing her twin-daughter in the Ita Faaji building collapse incident.

    Tearfully reliving her ordeal, the bereaved woman said: “I was at my business place at Idumota when the Ita Faaji incident occurred. My twin-daughters were in the school located inside the collapsed building.  The other ones went to school at Falomo.

    “While in the market, I received a call that our building had collapsed. I quickly left the market, and on getting home, I saw rescue workers bringing out a victim. I slumped immediately and they started pouring water on me.

    “When I regained consciousness, I asked after my daughters and was told that one of them was receiving treatment at the General Hospital and that the other was at a private hospital. I demanded to see the one at the private hospital but I was prevented from seeing her. They simply told me that she was doing fine. She eventually died.

    “She didn’t sustain visible injuries. My late daughter was a nice girl. On that fateful day, she prayed that God would make me have bountiful sales and requested that I should buy something for her on my way back from shop. I never knew she was speaking with me for the last time.

    “The twin sister had pains on her back. She did ex-ray and was treated.

    “We are grateful to the Lagos State Government for their assistance. I don’t have anywhere I can go to after leaving this place. My husband and I have not been going to work. I just trust that tomorrow will be good.”

    Also recounting her experience, Yetunde Saka said the Ita Faaji incident would remain indelible in her memory, especially as she still is battling to save the life of her sister who sustained injuries during the incident.

    She said: “I went to buy something that fateful day, leaving four of my relations at home. I was still on my way when I saw the calls of my brother trying to inform me about the ugly incident. I lost two of the people left in the house in the collapsed building.

    “My sister is still writhing in pains in the hospital as I am talking with you now. I shuttle between the rehabilitation centre and the hospital where she is receiving treatment. Apart from losing my relations, I also lost a large quantity of gold.”

    A male inmate at the Igando Rehabilitation Centre, who gave his name as Yusuf Alagbala, said the building collapse incident had brought untold pains and sorrow to his family.

    “My brother Bashir died in the Ita Faaji building collapse. He was visually impaired. Our mother suffered stroke after his death. She has been seriously disturbed by his death.

    “After the Ita Faaji incident, our house at 26, Apatira was demolished. This is why I am here in the rehabilitation camp.”

     

     

    ‘We’ll never go back to Lagos Island’

    Some of the inmates at the rehabilitation centre vowed never to return to Lagos Island where most of them were born and brought up. Contrary to their thinking that life starts and ends in Lagos Island, the building collapse, which made them to be relocated to the mainland, has caused them to have a rethink.

    One of the inmates, Kadiri Sulaiman, a civil servant, said: “I was living at 84, Olusi Street, Lagos Island. Our building was one of those demolished by the state government. It was demolished after the Ita Faaji incident.

    “The demolition is a blessing in disguise for me because I longed to leave the building long ago but financial challenges prevented me from doing so. Living in that house was a big risk because it was dilapidated.

    “One day, a part of the decking caved in and cut the face of one of my daughters who was climbing the staircase. I used to instruct my children not to stay in the house after returning from school because I always feared that the building could collapse at any time.

    “Sleeping at night was always with one eye closed because of the fear that something unpalatable could happen. I don’t want to go back to Lagos Island again. I would prefer getting accommodation in this area. If some of my colleagues could live in Ikorodu working in Lagos Island, I can also live in this area and go to work in Lagos Island.

    “Even my children were saying they wouldn’t want to go back to Lagos Island again because of its rowdy nature. We are sincerely grateful to the Lagos State Government for coming to our aid. We are also trying our best to reciprocate their gesture.

    “One of the things we are doing in this regard is to keep tab on the activities of our people so that nobody misbehaves or breaks camp rules.”

    His colleague, Ojekunle Akorede, also expressed his determination never to return to Lagos Island.

    He said: “I was living at 50, Kakawa Street, Lagos Island, before the building collapsed on its own. The building was marked for demolition on Friday, March 22, but it collapsed on March 25. We were fortunate that there was no casualty when the building collapsed.

    “I was with friends in a house beside it when we heard strange sounds three times, showing that it was caving in. After the third sound, the building started going down by itself. The incident happened around 12:55 pm.

    “I don’t want to live in Lagos Island again. Most of the houses are old and weak. I prefer this Igando area because the kind of buildings here are completely different from what we have in Lagos Island.”

  • Two feared injured as another building collapses

    Two persons were yesterday feared injured as another three-storey building collapsed on Lagos Island.

    The incident, which occurred at 50, Kakawa Street, has brought to four the number of buildings that had collapsed in the area since the March 13 disaster.

    It was gathered that the latest collapsed building had been marked for demolition for a long time, but officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA) did nothing to pull it down, until it caved in yesterday afternoon.

    Those who sustained injuries, The Nation learnt, were residents of a nearby building the collapsed structure fell on. Another three-storey building situated at 47/49, Odunlami Street, behind the collapsed one, was also affected.

    At the time our correspondent visited the scene, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Adesina Tiamiyu, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) policemen, fire service officials and LABSCA officials were at the place, preparing to pull down the remains of the buildings.

    Lagos State Government yesterday urged occupants of marked distressed buildings to vacate them before the arrival of the demolition team of LASBCA.

    Read also: Photos of Lagos building collapse

    Physical Planning and Urban Development Commissioner Prince Rotimi Ogunleye made the appeal, just as a distressed three-storey building at 50, Kakawa Street, Lagos Island, collapsed.

    The government said there was no casualty.

    Ogunleye said: “The building in question had been identified as distressed by the officers of the LASBCA and all the necessary statutory notices had been duly served. It was one of the defective structures marked for demolition by the agency.

    “Fortunately, occupants had been evacuated before the incident occurred. Immediately, the Lagos State Rescue Team and LASBCA were alerted and they moved to site promptly to check all adjoining buildings so as to evacuate the occupants, to avoid any further hazards.”

    Those displaced in the ongoing demolition of defective/distressed buildings in the state will be resettled at the Igando Resettlement Camp, Commissioner for Information and Strategy Kehinde Bamigbetan said yesterday.

    The camp comprises five hostels, with 22 rooms and four double-bunk each. Each room can accommodate eight persons.

    It has a kitchen, a dining hall, a general hall for recreation, a three-ward medical facility, 10 toilets and bathrooms for each hostel, workers’ accommodation, facilities for persons living with disabilities and security post, among others.

    Speaking during a media tour of the camp, Bamigbetan said it was ready to take 500 displaced persons from today.

    Their resettlement, he said, was part of the government’s plan to mitigate the effect of the loss of their homes.

    Tiamiyu said the camp would be opened for three months in the first instance, after which the government would review the need for an extension.

    The camp, he said, would work with the Igando General Hospital on medical referrals, adding that the health team for the camp would arrive today.

  • Two injured in another Lagos building collapse

    Two persons on Monday sustained varying injuries after another three-storey building collapsed in Lagos Island.

    The incident which happened on 50 Kakawa Street, has brought to four the number of buildings that had collapsed in the area since the March 13 disaster that killed no fewer than 18 persons on Massey Street, Itafaaji, while the state government has pulled down 17 defective structures within the same period.

    It was gathered that latest collapsed building had been marked for demolition for a long time but officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA) did nothing to pull it down until it caved on Monday afternoon.

    Those who sustained injuries, The Nation gathered, were residents of a nearby building the collapsed structure fell on, while another three-storey building situated on 47/49 Odunlami Street, directly behind the collapsed one was also affected.

    Fatimah’s father, Lawal Ahmed, an Islamic cleric said she was returning from the toilet when the three-storey building collapsed on theirs.

    “When the incident happened at about 12: 50pm, majority of us (tenants) in 50A Kakawa street were outside, trying to assist a shop owner at the down floor of the collapsed building. We all took to our heels but I immediately returned back when I remembered that my daughter was inside.

    “With the help of other people around, we were able to rescue my daughter, Fatimah and Alaba Audio, a 21-year-old son of my neighbour. My daughter was taken to Fehintola Private hospital at Bamgbose Street, while Alaba was taken to the General Hospital for medical attention,” he said.

    An aunt to Alaba, Abiola Adio, said he was sleeping in their room when the high rise building fell on him, adding that both victims were responding to treatment at the hospital.

    Narrating how the building collapsed, the woman said it happened few hours after the last occupant (one of the owners) vacated the premises.

    She said: “This building that collapsed today has been marked for a very long time. I thought they were going to demolish it today (Monday) due to late movement of the owners of the house. One of the owner’s son lived there and only moved out on Sunday. It was this morning that he removed his belongings only for the building to collapse few hours later.

    “It is sad that the government did not demolish this building after several markings until it fell and affected ours. If they had demolished it, the structure would not have fallen and injured our children.

    “They were asleep when the building collapsed and fell on them. It happened around 1pm. We are just thanking God that it did not happen in the evening or on a Sunday because more people would have been affected. There are a lot of children in this compound and they had gone to school when it happened.”

    According to the woman, the state government should rein in LABSCA and discipline agents who were fond of collecting bribes from owners, residents of defective buildings instead of doing the right things.

    “Government should kindly help us. Some of the government officials who come around to check buildings end up collecting bribes from owners of these buildings that are due for demolition.

    “When they collect bribe, they just go and write opposite report of what they saw and that is why we have been facing this issue of building collapse in this area. It is not helping us, people are dying,” she lamented.

    At the time our Correspondent visited the scene, the General Manager Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Adesina Tiamiyu, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) policemen, fire service officials and LABSCA agents were at the scene preparatory to level the collapsed building as well as the one it affected.

    People were seen assisting a shop owner remove his wares from the building, while state officials awaiting a tow-truck to remove vehicles parked on the street that were obstructing the movement of the excavator to the scene.
    The shop owner Muritala Ageshin said he was thankful the building did not collapse on himself and his yoinger brother who were packing out their wares.

    “My brother and I were inside the shop, packing out our belongings because government officials came last Friday and gave all tenants in the building quit notice with instruction that they are coming back today to demolish it.

  • Photos: Another building collapses in Lagos Island

    A three-storey building has reportedly collapsed in Kakawa street, Lagos Island on Monday.

    According to a resident of the street, no one was trapped because the building was marked for demolition and occupants had vacated.

    The collapsed structure, however, affected a bungalow with three occupants.

     

    Details shortly….

  • Wanted: Stricter laws for standards in schools

    The collapse of a three-storey building in Ita Faji, Lagos Island, where a school occupied a floor has raised questions about the failure of regulation. What can government do to ensure the establishment of standard private schools. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE and BUSOLA SEBIOTIMO report.

    Rules and regulations guiding the establishment of schools in Lagos State disallow the existence of school within residential or commercial premises.  But this was not the case with Ohen Nursery and Primary School in Ita Faaji, Lagos Island.  It was housed in a three-storey  building on Massey Street, which collapsed last Wednesday, leaving many pupils and some adults dead. It was one of the 20,000 private schools in Lagos.

    The school, which had about 100 pupils, was located on the second and third floors of the building.  The first floor was residential, while the ground floor housed some shops. The building also had a pent house and had been marked for demolition three times in the past.

    The Nation found that there are many private schools like Ohen Nursery and Primary School in Ita Faaji – many of them unapproved. However, the closest public school in the vicinity is St John Nursery and Primary School, at Tinubu.

    A school owner, Mr Usman Akinsanya, said there were more than 30 private schools in the area and 1,000 on Lagos Island alone, most of which were not worth being called schools.

    “We have over 1,000 schools on Lagos Island and over 30 around Ita Faaji vicinity with just one government school around (St. John) which is very old. Isaale eko is the worst.  Most penthouses there host private schools and this endangers those houses because they are weak; for example, maybe they can only accommodate 50  people but with the school children, the house would have to accommodate like 200 people. Why won’t they break down? The government should do something about it, such schools are prominent around here,” said Akinsanya, who runs ACUAD Nursery and Primary School, Ita Faaji.

    The inadequate number of public schools in the area as well as the seeming poor quality of education they offer has led to parents preferring to patronise private schools – even when the schools do not meet stipulated standards for approval by the state government.

    Some parents, who spoke to The Nation, said they preferred private schools because public schools were few and overcrowded.

    A resident of Obadina Street in Ita Faaji, who called herself Mrs Martins, said government schools were usually overcrowded.

    “Times have changed. There is a significant difference between when I was in school and now. Some teachers in public school would ask the pupils to make benches as the government does not provide benches for them to sit on. The classes are overcrowded, over 100 pupils in a class, unlike private schools, where they would not be more than 28-30 in a class – with like two teachers in charge of such classes.  And with such a crowd (in public schools), the pupils would not be taught well. That is why we parents prefer private schools, not that we all can afford it; but most are just pushing through to give their children quality education,” she said.

    She, however, warned that the government should be circumspect about private schools that are approved to operate.

    “Government should be extra careful when giving out licences; they should visit the schools first and see if it is really worth to be a school.  There are a lot of private schools here, but no government school around. Before one can see a government school, one would have to get to Marina, Tinubu, hence, the patronage of private schools,” she said.

    Mrs. Mariam Opeyemi, who also lives in Ita Faaji, said parents seeking quality education service delivery preferred private schools.

    “First, there are not  many public schools around this area and the private schools around here are cheap. Private schools are known to teach better than government schools and parents want the best for their children,” said.

    However, another parent, Alhaji Wasiu, disagreed that public schools provided poor education.

    “There is nothing special between private and public schools, in those days. Most of us attended government schools although there were a few rich children that attended private schools. Private schools are preferred due to civilisation now and also because they would quickly educate children in English Language unlike government schools. Children of very young age can already speak fluent English in private schools.

    “My last child in JSS2 attends a government school, St. Peter, and they (government school) are already proving to be getting better; but they are not the best.  Education is very important yet the government is slow about it. There is nothing my child who attends government school cannot do. I can even visit the school and ask what he is being taught and with the special lessons he does. He cannot speak English well but he understands when spoken to”.

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    Some of the respondents said the government needed to do more to monitor quality in public schools and it should shut down substandard private schools.

    Though the government regulation stipulates that schools should have purpose-built structures, Mr Usman Akinsanya said it was common for teachers to start schools from one room.

    He said: “Substandard private schools should be closed down because, for example, I have a school named ACUAD and some teachers in the school sensing an opportunity would leave the school, only to get a room or shop or a room and parlour and start operating a school because they know there is gain in private schools. The worst part is that some of these teachers do not even have NCE.  The teachers they would employ are those that just graduated from secondary schools to teach the students. Schools that are not government approved or of good standard should be closed.”

    Alhaji Wasiu  said many schools on the Island did  not have the space required to run.

    ‘’Some private schools around here are of good standard while others are not. There is a school beside my house which the government cannot approve because an approved school is meant to have space for the children to play in and a safe environment. But that school does not have any of that. But it is not their fault, but the government’s; they are lax in their duties. If the government does what it is meant to do, there would be no room for substandard schools,” he said.

    Mrs Yinka Ogunde, founder, Concerned Parents and Educators (CPE), an advocacy group for best practices in the education sector, said the government was duty bound to ensure Nigerians had access to quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background.

    She said: “It is the duty of government to educate its citizens, especially those who are not in the position to have access to good quality education.  Now you have the poor in that area; you have people who are unable to afford qualitative education that may be some private schools.  You don’t even have too many public schools even there again.  We are leaving these people with absolutely no choice.

    “There are some things that dictate their (poor people) choice of schools – cost, cost and cost.  A lot of them cannot afford much more than they are getting.  Even the ones in there, they can barely afford it.  It is the duty of the government to take care of such people.  Education should not be left in the hands of private operators because private operators will not be able to do the duty of government.”

    The Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) is the umbrella group of private schools that serves the low-income members of the society.

    In the past, the Lagos State Government had clamped down on AFED schools for not being registered or operating according to laid-down rules and regulations for the establishment of schools.

    Its National President, Mr Emmanuel Orji, told The Nation that space constraints in the densely populated area where the collapsed school was located may have limited the choice of properties to use for schools.  He also said property in the area was expensive.

    “Government has established regulations on the kind of structure schools can operate in.  We keep to government regulations.  For instance, a school that is more than two stories will not be approved.

    “My members are basically in the slum areas.  Our members cannot afford to build large structures; so usually they get land and start with makeshift structures.

    “The area where this incident took place has old buildings and is congested. That may be the reason the proprietor may have used such building for school,” he said.

    Expressing regret about the incident, he called on school owners to prioritise safety and security when establishing schools.

    “It is unfortunate. My heart is with those who lost their loved ones and my prayers are with them. We pray this never happens again. I want to use this opportunity to say we want schools to keep to government regulations and put safety and security first,” he said.

    President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) Lagos State, Alhaji Wasiu Adumadeyi, said the school was not under its fold.  He, however, noted that he visited the site and promised greater cooperation with the government.

    “No, the school is not among our members. But as an association of proprietors of private schools anything that concerns a private school, concerns us.  We have been there today (last Wednesday) to assess the situation and pay condolences.  We have resolved to partner with the Ministry of Education to ensure this never happens again in this industry,” he said.

    “We are saddened more because of the lives of the young ones we lost,” he said.

  • I’m afraid to go to school again, says pupil who survived Lagos building collapse

    A Three-year-old survival of the recent building collapse at Ita Faji on Lagos Island, Kabiru Sasore, Monday said he is afraid of going to school again.

    He said he was eating in his class when he suddenly heard a loud sound, thinking it was a bomb.

    “I was eating in my class when my school collapsed, I heard a loud sound, and our school shook and all of us fell on each other. I was afraid and I didn’t want to go to school that day, I later saw a caterpillar. Though I am fine but my back is still painting me and my neck.”

    He said he is afraid to go to school again because he does not want to experience the similar incident again.

    His Aunty, Balikis Muhammed said he was discharged from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH ) on Thursday, adding that he is still in medication and has an appointment in the hospital next Thursday.

    “His mother, Idera, is not feeling fine due to the shock from the incident; she is currently on admission in the hospital. When I saw him in the hospital last Thursday, when he woke up in the hospital, what he told us was that they bombed his school, everybody shook and it was not fair. He was shouting the name of his friend from the same school who was by his bed side, that one was asleep but Kabiru continuously shouted his name and was banging on his bed till that one woke up, opened his eyes, shouted Daddy.”

    Another survival, Farouk Abimbola, Seven years old, in Primary 3, said he was in his class and lectures were ongoing when the incident happened.

    “We were in the class reading with our teacher when the building suddenly started shacking and it collapsed, I heard a loud sound and I saw pillars coming down. I later saw caterpillar then sand was covering my leg and my head; some people carried and removed me from the sand and took me to the hospital. My leg and my hand are still paining me

    His Aunty, Titilayo Kowobar, said he has been discharged from the hospital but he is still going for treatment. She said his other is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital.

    “She is not in the right frame of mind, because her house has also been demolished. Now the family has no where to live; the father hangs around, the mother and Farouk stays with me, while their other children stays else whee,” she said.

  • Building collapse: Lagos begins demolition of over 150 marked houses

    The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA) yesterday began the demolition of defective buildings on the Lagos Island.

    Men of the agency’s task force pulled down a three-storey building on 60A, Freeman Street, Epetedo area.

    The demolition exercise is not unconnected with the Wednesday incident around the same area, where a four-storey building collapsed, killing over 10 people and leaving scores injured.

    LABSCA official, Mr. Omotayo Fakolujo, told The Nation that the property owner had been served several notices dating back to 2013 before the demolition.

    He said that over 150 houses on the Lagos Island have been identified for demolition.

    “On the Lagos Island, we have over 150 houses marked for demolition. We have removed over 30 in the last one year and we are going to be removing them in phase. What we are trying to do is to remove occupants from all these structures that have been marked so that no life is lost in Lagos. For now on Lagos Island alone, we have a clear court case approval of over 80 cases and 80 structures that are ready for removal and we will do it in phases systematically from today (yesterday) so that life will be comfortable for Lagosisns. We will remove three today on Lagos Island. And for the houses that are still occupied, we are going to evict the occupants of the structures because their lives are more important to us.

    “On our mode of demolishing, these structures are so close by; we have to remove them systematically, manually so that we can ensure that there is safety. The exercise is not prompted by the recent collapsed building. Before this incident, we had removed over 10 structures within Ajeromi Ifemodun and Apapa within the Ijora axis,” he said.

    Contrary to previous experiences, residents and passers-by on Freeman Street, Epetedo, Lagos, praised the officials for the demolition exercise.

  • Updated: Over 150 buildings marked for demolition in Lagos Island

    The Lagos state building control agency (LABSCA) on Friday began the demolition of defective buildings on the Lagos Island.

    M en of the agency’s task force pulled down a three storey building on 60A Freeman Street, Epetedo area.

    The demolition exercise is not unconnected with the Wednesday incident around the same area, where a four storey building collapsed, killing over 18 pupils and leaving scores injured.

    LABSCA official, Mr. Omotayo Fakolujo, told The Nation that the property owner had been served several notices dating back to 2013 before the demolition.

    He said that over 150 houses on the Lagos Island have been identified for demolition.

    “On the Lagos Island we have over 150 houses marked for demolition. We have removed over 30 in the last one year and we are going to be removing them in phase.

     

    “What we are trying to do is to remove occupants from all these structures that have been marked so that no life is lost in Lagos.

    “For now on Lagos Island alone, we have a clear court case approval of over 80 cases and 80 structures that are ready for removal and we will do it in phases systematically from today (Friday) so that life will be comfortable for Lagosians.

    “We will remove three today on Lagos Island. And for the houses that are still occupied, we are going to evict the occupants of the structures because their life is more prominent to us.”

    Noting that the agency is monitoring to ensure that new structures are built aright, he noted that in the past three years there is no new structure that has gone down in the state.

    “This is because materials testing is doing due diligence into those structures and the state building control through its certification department is also building with them.

    “But we need to do foundation proven for over 70 present to the old structures that are over 25 years old to ensure that they are still structurally sound.

    “On Massey Street, we have about four or five houses left that we are trying to remove.

    “There is still litigation that we must avoid rehabilitee that might arise from litigation if we remove forcefully without clarifying that.

    “On our mode of demolishing, these structures are so close by; we have to remove them systematically, manually so that we can ensure that there is safety.

    “The exercise is not prompted by the recent collapsed building, before this incident we have removed over 10 structures within Ajeromi Ifemodun and Apapa within the Ijora axis.

    “We have to go through exposures of reinforcement, physible craft on it and scientifically, most of these buildings must be subjected to test through Lagos state material testing and its agency and that is how we identify them, so that we are sure that no one is malicious about bringing down the structures,” he said.

    Contrary to previous experiences, residents and passer-by on Freeman Street Epetedo, Lagos, praised the officials for the demolition exercise.

    A resident, who identified himself as Tajudeen, told The Nation that it is a welcome development.

    He said government has shown with this exercise that it has the interest of the people at heart.

    Tajudeen revealed that a lot of houses on the island were built poorly and by unqualified masons.

    “We are happy; everything should be brought to ground zero. We don’t want any loss of lives again,” he said.

    On the house demolished on 47 Smith Street, one of the owners of the property, Mrs.  Oshodi Glover, said the developer given the job to renovate the house did nothing.

    “What is in the book is that he will renovate our house and hand it over to us. We were told to do test and we did.

    “We have been on the case for about seven years now, the case has continuously been adjourned, we have done the test and we are going to court again next week.

    “It has been a while that we have been given notice, we told them we have been going to court for about three years and they said there is nothing they could do but we should tell judge to end our case quickly.

    “They have written to us that we should renovate the house, the person we gave the job to did nothing, the house was deteriorating.

    “He did not pay electricity bills, we had no result to show if he paid for land use and we took the case to court, he is a developer and his name is Awe, the house owner is Thomas.

    “He was meant to renovate the house and give it back to us. The outcome of the test was that they will demolish the house.

    “We are not against the house being demolished by government but the developer we gave the job to did nothing to the house.

    “Most of these developers will say the house is overdue and that they will collect the house that they cannot renovate it, the developer use this house for 30 years and did nothing to it,” she said

    Some of the residents who were happy about the demolition exercises urged government to always check the cement iron rods and other materials used in building the house.

    Many of them said the house built by developers is bad.

    “We are happy that houses are being demolished in the area because if the houses should collapse lives will be lost.

    “The way houses are built in Lagos is not good. It is not fair that houses collapse and kill our children, we will be giving birth and our children will just die like that.

    “People should not build three or four storey building and there should be space between houses.

    “You will see houses built in three months; we love the demolition, it should continue so that houses will no longer collapse and kill innocent people especially children.

    “A house collapsed less than two years ago, also on Lagos Island and many people died, we are angry over the continuous building collapse, the demolition should continue.”

  • 18 die, 41 injured in Lagos Island building collapse

    No fewer than 18 persons died yesterday when a four-storey building collapsed on Lagos Island. Forty-one others were injured.

    The incident occurred at No 14, Massey Street, Opposite Oja, Ita-Faaji.

    The building, housing Ohen Private Nursery and Primary School on its third floor, caved in at about 10:20am, trapping scores of pupils.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Jide Idris, who confirmed the casualty figure, said many of the rescued were taken to Lagos Island General Hospital, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), among others.

    The Nation learnt that the large number of casualties sparked a shortage of blood with the general hospital calling for donors.

    Idris said rescue efforts will continue today.

    According to Lagos State Emergency management Agency (LASEMA) General Manager Adeshina Tiamiyu, over 41 people were rescued from the rubble of the building, which had been marked for demolition since 2014.

    An eyewitness, Abayomi Olaniyan, said he was among those rescuing the victims before the official rescue team came.

    Olaniyan, said: “Some were rescued alive, some dead. One of the teachers still called shortly that she was on the ground floor of the collapsed building, trapped with 20 pupils.

    “Something similar happened around here last year. The issue of building collapse is common here and government must do something about it. Houses will be marked and due for demolition but they will not demolish it; they will renovate it. So many houses here are weak; they are meant to be demolished but they will tell you they are renovating it; they will only paint it.”

    An eyewitness, Bola Ogunyemi, said: “The pupils were already lined up from their third floor classes when the school owner noticed that the building was cracking. Before the kids could be arranged from their classes, the building had collapsed”. The school owner and some kids have been taken to the hospital.”

    Some youths who are resident in the area were complaining that the rescue efforts were slow.

    Since they were told to leave the scene, nobody was removed for about 30 minutes, they said at about 5p.m.

    The officers and LASEMA officials, the boys said, were not doing enough.

    Some of the boys were recalled to the scene.

     

    The casualties

    The school owner was among the first casualties.

    She was taken to the General Hospital, where she died after efforts by the medicals to save her proved abortive.

    A distraught mother of two victims urged the rescuers to help bring out her son, Luqman, from the rubble.

    The woman’s daughter, Tobi, had earlier been rescued.

    Among the victims is a woman, who called his brother that she was still trapped.

    She told her brother that the caterpillar was on their floor, pleading that it should be moved back

    “I am under the caterpillar. Help tell the driver to move back,” the victim under the rubble told her troubled brother.

    An expectant woman was among those that were pulled out of the rubble alive. A man, who was trapped in the building, was said to have come home to eat. He was yet to be rescued as at press time.

    A man, Bashiru Alagbala, who came to visit his wife, was brought out dead.

    A family of four – father, mother, son and grandson – was also trapped. Father, mother and grandson were rescued but the son was said to be still under the rubble.

    A source told The Nation that one of the dead was a pupil, who turned 10 yesterday.

    The source said: “Today (yesterday) is his birthday and it is unfortunate that he died today. I learnt that he told his mother that he did not want to go to school today (yesterday). His mother must have seen him as a lazy boy.  Sometimes, these little children see what we adults do not see. His mother should have talked about why he did not want to go to school, but I learnt his mother forced him to go and he died. She must be regretting that now.”

    Another source said a pair of twin brothers was also trapped in the building. One was said to have died; the other was rescued alive with serious injuries.

    A woman, who refused to be named, said her daughter, Azeezat, was still trapped in the rubble. She said she had been to all the hospitals but did not find her.

    A former teacher in the school, Bukola Salami, said the building had been shaking since last year.

    “I worked in the school for six months and I resigned last December because the building was shaking. When I was in the school, I used to hear sounds as if someone was throwing stones from the walls. The building cracks and the walls shake at times. I told the school owner about my observations, I told her to relocate the school elsewhere, but she said there was no money for the school to be relocated. I resigned last year because of the fear that someday the building might collapse.”

     

    Where are the victims?

    A nurse at Massey Street Children Hospital, Lagos Island, told The Nation that some of the victims brought to the hospital were given first aid and transferred to other hospitals for proper medical care.

    The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Titi Gonclaves, told reporters at the Lagos Island General Hospital that five of the 20 early casualties were transferred to other hospitals after being attended to.

    At the entrance of the hospital was pasted 41 names of the stable survivors: 22 females, 17 males. Two were unidentified.

     

    Crowd hampered rescue, says Health Commissioner

    Commissioner for Health Jide Idris confirmed the casualty figures of 18 deaths and 41 injured.

    He lamented that the large number of spectators slowed down rescue efforts and he could not give a definite casualty figure until today.

    Idris said: “Our doctors and nurses are working round the clock. A lot of them were mobilised from different hospitals down here. Doctors from federal institutions are also assisting because of the seriousness of this incident.

    “We will not be able to give full information now until tomorrow (today) morning. Some have been taken to LASUTH, LUTH and we don’t know if more people will be rescued.

    “The state of things now is getting calm than earlier because there were a lot of emotions.

    The medical teams have done their best. It would have been done better and faster but for the crowd.

    “So far all we care is to bring people out alive.”

     

    General Hospital seeks blood donors

    The Lagos Island General Hospital was last night calling for voluntary blood donors.

    The hospital’s Blood Donor Clinic said it had received 50 pints of blood at press time, with more people responding to the call.

    An official at the clinic, Akin, thanked the donors.

    “Most of the victims brought here today (yesterday) are casualties and most of the blood donated here are majorly used for casualties.

    “We screen for our donors, we check for TTI and PCV, then we check to know if the donor is fit.

    The minimum requirement for a female donor is 38 percent at least, while male is 40 percent upwards.  Then we also check if the female donor is not on her period, we check for malaria and other tests; if they are fit, we start the procedure.

    “Blood is life, we thank the blood donors for coming out en masse to support the hospital and the government,” Olojo told The Nation.

     

    Ambode orders probe, takes over victims’ medical expenses

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode commiserated with families of the victims and promise to pay the victims’ medical bills.

    Ambode, who visited the scene of the incident at about 2:42pm, described the incident as “unfortunate”.

    He urged residents to allow rescuers space to carry out their operations.

    Ambode said: “I want to commiserate with the families of those that lost their lives in this collapsed building. I want to quickly let Lagosians know that this is quite an unfortunate incident. All we are trying to do is to scale up this rescue operation.

    “Our response units are already here; we are getting additional cranes to be able to go deeper than where we are now to rescue more lives.

    “I just want to appeal to people that when we are doing this kind of rescue operation, yes, sympathisers will naturally come, but I want to appeal that they should give the rescue workers the chance to save more lives.”

    The Governor said his Deputy, Dr. Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, was visiting hospitals where some of the victims rescued had been taken to.

    “The Deputy Governor is in the hospital actually taking care of those that were rescued and taken to the hospital, most especially the children. We will immediately take care of whatever it is that we can do, including the hospital bills.

    “All we are interested in now is to save more lives and also see how those that have been rescued are put in proper place and proper care,” Ambode said.

     

    ‘Several buildings marked for demolition’

    Ambode said he had received information that the building was  residential, with the school operating illegally within the premises.

    He said most of the buildings in the area had been marked for demolition but that some property owners defied such notices. Structurally defective buildings would be demolished, he stressed, adding:

    “The first observation is that this is an old building and it is only the penthouse and the other floors that we have been able to use to rescue people.

    “So far, from what I have been briefed, we have rescued about 25 people and some already dead but we were earlier informed that it was a school; the building is not technically a school; it is a residential building that was actually accommodating an illegal school, so to speak, on the second floor.

    “Like we have said, we have been carrying out a lot if integrity tests on the buildings in this neighborhood and, as you can see, some of them have been marked for demolition but we get resistance from landlords, but we must continue to save lives and we would intensify our efforts to see that those that have failed our integrity test, we would ensure that they are quickly evacuated and we’ll bring the structures down,” he said.

    Ambode also said a probe would be carried out immediately rescue operations are concluded. Those found culpable, he promised, will be dealt with in accordance with the laws.

    “This is unfortunate but we will investigate what has happened and also see the punishment for whoever are the culprits.

    ‘’That is the secondary level but the most important thing right now is to save lives and I just appeal to people that they should give us the chance to save more lives,” he said.

    Responding to a concern raised by a resident on the increase in illegal schools in the area, Ambode said all schools that fall within that category would be closed down.

     

    ‘Why LASEMA couldn’t  bring in heavy equipment’

    LASEMA General Manager Adeshina Tiamiyu said the environment did not allow the agency to bring in bigger equipment.

    He said: “So far, over 40 people have been rescued by joint efforts of the community. They had rescued many people and we came and joined them with the efforts of other agencies.

    “The work we have done here today has been by the help of this community and those of us in the official rescue team. They had been rescuing people before we came. We are trying to decide where to rescue them from. But we are doing our best.

    “We must get to the bottom of the building, and account for everybody that they claim is in the building.”

     

    Private owners disown school

    Two main private school associations  – the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) – denied any link with the collapsed school.

    The National President of AFED, the umbrella group of private schools for low-income earners, Mr Emmanuel Orji, said the group had no records of the school’s membership.

    “We have tried searching for information about the school.  I don’t think it is one of our members,” he told The Nation on phone.

    In the past, the government had clamped down on AFED schools for not being registered or operating according to laid down rules and regulations.

    Orji said the space constraints in the densely populated area where the collapsed school was located may have limited the choice of properties available to use for schools.

     

    SOME OF THE SURVIVORS

    • Rasheed Lasbat (f)
    • Ogunsanwo Olumide (m)
    • Adeyemo Kehinde (f)
    • Adedoyin Rukayat (f)
    • Sanusi Rukayat (f)
    • Sulaimon Baraka (f)
    • Rasheed Shukurat (f)
    • Komolafe Saidat (f)
    • Unknown (f)
    • Unknown (m)
    • Unknown (m)
    • Hassan Omotolani (f)
    • Abimbola Faruq (m)
    • Alabi Qayum (m)
    • Afolabi Rodiat (f)
    • Olawusi Rokibat (f)
    • Alawu Tayibat (f)
    • Adedoyin Kehinde
    • Unknown
    • Rasheed Labat (f)
    • Noimot Tise (f)
    • Alabi Kabiru (m)
    • Shasore Kabiru (m)
    • Ogunsanwo Daniel (m)
    • Owolabi Ayomide (m)
    • Ayeni Faruq (m)
    • Amoo Khalid (m)
    • Unknown (Iya Ope) (f)
    • Johnson Esther (f)
    • Hassan Jamiu (m)
    • Ajibade Saratu (f)
    • Unknown (f)
    • Samuel Esther (f)
    • Adesegiri Kemi (f)
    • Wasiu Segun (m)
    • Ayeni Asabi (f)
    • Alabi Kabiru (m)
    • Mubarak Olayinka (m)
    • Hassan Jamiu (m)
    • Ayanbola Demola (m)
    • Afolabi Samiat (f)