Amidu Arije
Some parents, who lost their children and others who theirs survived at the collapsed three-storey building on Massey Street, Lagos Island, Lagos State, have blamed the government for lack of provision of good schools in the state.
The building housed Ohen Nursery and Primary School on the third floor and also has residence in the second and first floors with shops.
While chatting with The Nigerian Xpress, the agonised parents lamented that their children would not have been sent to a private school if the government schools are well furnished and equipped with enough education materials.
One of the parents, Mr. Abdul Waheed Ayigoro, whose son, Wasiu, survived the building collapse but with a very serious head injury told The Nigerian Xpress that the government is the one to blame forbthwir tragedy because if they have provided them within very good school with teachers his children wouldn’t attend the private school.
“I blame the government for the building collapsed and loss of lives in it, because they failed to provide for us the citizens good schools where we can send our children to.
“If the government has provided well equipped and furnished schools for us no one will dream of sending his or her children to private schools.
“Go to our public schools today they are in dilapidated states with no enough chairs for the pupils and teachers to use,” he said.
A thankful but sympathetic father, Mr. Ayigoro, said he has nothing to tell God order than to praise Him for saving the life of his son and prayed for the boy and others who survived for quick health recovery.
“We can only thank God for saving the life of our son and some others, we sympathise with parents whose children died in the building collapsed and pray for their reposed. We pray God heal the injured ones quickly and grant the sound health,” he said.
READ ALSO: Anambra govt. to probe Onitsha tanker accident
Mrs. Desire Dupe also tasked the government to ensure that public schools are better equipped to allow themselves send their children to the school.
She said though her 5-year-old daughter, Shukurah Rasheed, survived the incident but with varying degrees of injury. She urged the state government to ensure that public schools in all parts of the country is given adequate attention and better equipped.
“We thank God that our daughter survived it, we symathise those who lost their children’s lives. We want the government to please give adequate attention to public schools to allow us send our children there,” she said.
Another parent, Mrs. Aishat Onilenla, whose elder sister’s three children attend the school, also lashed out at the government for not making public schools conducive enough for parents to send their children there.
The woman also said government should make housing affordable for people and eliminate the agreement and commission charges by landlords which put some people away from renting a house.
Mrs. Onilenla also urged the government to peg the height of storey building on the Island to maximum of two.
Corroborating Onilenla’s position on the need for government to limit the height of buildings to two storeys, Mr. Samuel Barnabas said the only way to avoid continued building collapse on Lagos Island was for the government to regulate the height of buildings and also ensure quality materials are used.
However, when The Nigerian Xpress spoke with the Chairman of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, Mr. Kamal Bashua, he said Government-owned schools are now better equipped with enough furnishes and qualified teachers.
“While parents claim that government schools are not well equipped, it amused me, go to our schools today you will see that they are well equipped with furnishes and qualified teachers. We have constant electricity in the schools with fans for the students and their teachers,” he said.
The council boss who has been on the site since the commencement of the rescue operation told our correspondent that the last person on the yielding was reduced around 3:00a.m. of Thursday and that the operation has reached ground zero which he said no one is still remaining in the rubbles.
