At about 10am this morning, while children who went to school would have settled in their various classrooms and adults who have work would have gone to their different places of work, a three-storey building collapsed in the Ita-faaji area of Lagos Island, Lagos. The building was said to be a 30-year old building that was used both residential and commercial purposes. The third floor housed a primary school, the second and third floor were for residential purposes while the ground floor were shops where people sell their wares.
The news came as a shock to the whole country as pictures and videos of victims being brought out of the rubbles were shown on TV, most of which were kids. Of course security agencies rushed down to the site, as well as well meaning Nigerians to help rescue them. The collapsed building was surrounded by a lot of people who were working hard to save the victims.
As they are being rescued, either dead or alive, they were taken straight to the General Hospital, Marina, where the ones who were still alive are being treated. A lot of people are also at the hospital. Videos on the news showed people crying and wailing, you could hear some of them loudly wishing they didn't take their wards to school on this fateful day. It was a heartbreaking sight to behold. Some people even had up to 3 to 4 children in that school. How will they survive this blow? How will they cope?
The outgoing governor of Lagos State later on the site to offer his condolences to the Ita-faaji community. He assured them that the security agent won't stop working until they are certain that no stone is left unturned, literally. A man was seen begging and pleading for the governor to mobilise people to demolish the old and weak buildings in that area and also shut down illegal schools because he said that that school in that collapsed building was not approved by the government. The governor assured him that will be done.
There have been so many stories surfacing about some o the children who are victims in the collapse. One is of a boy whose 10years birthday is today, another is of a boy also, who was crying and refusing to go to school but his parents forced him to. There is also one of a man whose three children had been home all-day last week because he couldn't yet afford their school fees and today when he took them to school and paid their fees, all three of them met their deaths. 😭😭😭
Amidst all these happening, the owner of the building was nowhere to be found.
My heart and prayers are with the people of Ita-faaji. And to the families of the deceased, may God grant them the strength they will need to survive this.
Goodnight.