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The collapsed school building in Jos
By Raymond Gukas, Jos
On Friday 12 July, 2024, about 22 students of a secondary school, in Jos, Plateau State ended a hopeful existence on earth due to an issue that is not their fault.
The students were among hundred others who were writing their promotion examinations and full of hope to proceed to the next level by next session, only to end up without a final goodbye to their parents, siblings, friends, neighbours or even their surviving classmates.
This was a tragedy that befell Saints Academy at Busa Buji Street of Jos North Local Government Area. Just like this tragedy, reports from across the country signified similar occurrences as the blame game kept shifting at the doorstep of building engineers.
No one cares to know if the quality of the building materials falls within standard or not, but authorities are only bent to punish unsuspecting structure owners; even as they too have questions to answer.
In Jos, reports had it that the two-storey building had stood within the marshy surrounding for about 10 years. Rumour promoters had different versions of the existence of this horrible building with one saying it was actually not meant for educational purpose at inception.
Secondly, that it was not meant for a high rise, but when the school came after dislodging its initial occupants, business was booming and to make room for the so many intended scholars, “quacks” were engaged to changes the status of the building from a mere storey less building to a full-fledged two storey. If this was true, did the Jos Metropolitan Development Board, (JMDB), then aware of this and how did it handle it then? A question that would soon be answered as investigations would unravel.
But because of the severity of this tragedy, the torrent of sympathies from across the country signified the gravity of this losses.
In its last press statement on this tragedy, the state government through the Ministry of Information and Communication said the Government has declared a “three days of mourning” for lives lost in the school building collapse.
It said “In response to the tragic loss of lives and injuries sustained by teachers and students of Saints Academy Jos, the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has declared a three-day period of mourning from July 13th to July 15th, 2024. During this time, all flags will be flown at half-mast to honor the victims of the school building collapse in Jos.
“Governor Mutfwang extends his heartfelt condolences to the families affected by this devastating incident and urges citizens to strictly follow building codes and ethics to prevent such tragedies. He emphasizes the need for all developers and property owners to submit their building plans to the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) for verification and revalidation, as part of the enforcement of Executive Order 003.
“We offer our deepest sympathies and unwavering support to those affected during this incredibly difficult time. We are dedicated to providing the best possible medical care for the injured and will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.
“The safety and well-being of our citizens, especially our children, is our top priority. We urge all schools to comply with safety regulations and secure the necessary approvals from the JMDB before beginning any construction projects,” it said.
Taking counts of the victims, the government confirmed 58 individuals remain hospitalized at the time of this report, while the rest have been treated and discharged:The Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) has six, Plateau State Specialist Hospital (PSSH), six also, Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BhUTH), 14 and Our Lady of Apostles Hospital (OLA), 32 with a total of 74 persons have been discharged, the Commissioner, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms stressed.
However, the Federal Government initiated an investigative panel on the collapsed two-storey school building and in its preliminary report, a worrisome finding was captured as to way the building caved in.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Professor Samson Duna, said the report of the panel, headed by Professor O.F. Job of the Building Department at the University of Jos, revealed that the physical observation of the building looked distressed while weak materials were used for the building.
According to him, at a press conference in Jos, the report observed that the quality of the concrete used to construct the storey building was in doubt, as there was no boundary between the concrete and the steel reinforcement.
The report also said the slab reinforcement anchorage provided for the structure was inadequate.
“The quality of concrete is in doubt because there was no boundary between the concrete and the steel reinforcement. The slab reinforcement anchorage provided was inadequate. The sizes of the footing (foundation) provided were lesser than the required number (1200 mm X 1200 mm).
“A comprehensive report on the investigation will be presented after the investigation,” he said.
Professor Duna enjoined the government and other professional bodies in the construction industry to insist on integrity tests on all distressed buildings, especially those around the collapsed building site.
He said the country had continued to experience building collapse because there had been no regular inspections and penalties for non-compliance, a development that calls for the need for close supervision and monitoring of projects of these magnitude for sanity to reign. A stitch in time, saves nine.
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