By PETER TITLE
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has ordered the immediate closure of the Saints Academy over negligence exhibited by its proprietors leading to the collapse of the building on students and staff.
He gave the order recently in Jos while inspecting the school and visiting some of the casualties in hospitals.
Our correspondent reports that a total of 154 persons were evacuated from the building with 22 dead while others were receiving treatment in three hospitals within the metropolis.
Gov. Mutfwang, who was visibly angry at the proprietors, declared that the school should be shut down, adding that the incident was totally avoidable, if they had complied with building laws.
“It’s unfortunate what has happened but, of course, we cannot allow the school to function. The school is hereby closed down immediately and we cannot take any further chances.
“We need to send this message particularly to owners of private schools, that the drive for profit must not overshadow the safety of lives.
“And so we are going to take steps immediately to do a technical audit of all the schools, including public schools. We are going to test the structural integrity to ensure that human beings can inhabit such buildings.
“We are going to set up a very high powered committee to investigate this incident. We are going to bring in building professionals to investigate this and anyone found culpable will certainly face the wrath of the law,” he warned.
On the recently promulgated Executive Order 003, Mutfwang emphasised the need to conform to building laws so as to restore sanity and order to buildings and construction within the metropolis.
He declared: “We cannot afford this situation any longer. That is why we signed the Executive Order 003. It is to be able to bring order and sanity into the building sector.
“When we insist that some buildings be demolished, it is not because we are wicked, we are concerned about the safety of lives, and that is why when we see buildings on water lines or in marshy places, we have no option than to bring them down.
“We are going to go the extra mile now and make sure that violators are also prosecuted. We will make sure that violators pay the cost of such demolitions.
“It is time we tell ourselves the truth. Everybody must be responsible for human lives. We cannot afford this kind of mishap again.”
Architect Hart Bankat, General Manager of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB), who explained the possible reasons for the collapse, noted that though investigations were still ongoing, poor building materials was one of the causes of the collapse.
“We are going to investigate this thoroughly, but even before then, it is obvious from the rubbles on ground that very, very poor materials were used here.
“Insufficient cement mix, no gravels, you can see that the spacing from the rods and the slabs are falling down, all this shows you that the building wasn’t properly done.
“Those are things that will be properly investigated, but we are calling on the public to report any such things so that such losses can be averted,” he explained.
Earlier, Mr. Daramola Akindele, principal of the school, who responded to the governor’s questions, said he did not notice any sign that the building would collapse.
He added that because the owner of the school was deceased, it was being managed by her husband, Mr. Marius Onigwe, who was indisposed at the time of the governor’s visit.
The governor also visited some of the hospitals where the victims were receiving treatment and paid condolence visits to some of the bereaved parents.
