Tragedy struck at about 11 AM on Wednesday 13th of March, 2019, at Ita Faaji located on Lagos Island as a three storey building collapsed killing and trapping people. The building is said to have contained residential buildings, a nursery and primary school as well as a shopping complex.
As at this afternoon, Reports from various news sources state that the Lagos State Government has marked the death toll at 20 (16 children and 4 adults) and claims to have rescued all the victims of this disaster. According to some news sources, residents believe there are still people trapped in the rubble.
My heart bleeds for the parents who lost their children to this collapse as well as families who have lost loved ones. I read that a mother who lost two of her children committed suicide this morning. There are so many heart breaking videos, stories and pictures of this incident on social media.
It breaks my heart to share this story because I believe that this tragedy could have been averted. The affected building was marked for demolition last year but till it collapsed, the government body responsible for the demolition of the building did nothing about it. Business went on as usual and people kept living in the building.
Government bodies can do better. If everyone takes preemptive measures to get their jobs done, these kinds of avoidable disasters will be avoided. There are other buildings that have been marked for demolition that are still housing people and have businesses operating in them. If these people do not care for their own safety, it is the governments responsibility to evacuate them from these buildings.
Everyone has a part to play. Let us all play our parts to ensure our states and country work.