It was like a drama when news filtered in that a high-rise under construction in Ikoyi area of Lagos gave way on a Monday. The tragedy left a sour taste in the mouths of many Nigerians asking why there has been no end to the cases of building collapse in the state. The truth is that given the stature of Lagos State, the development should not be recorded in the state. The state governor also agreed with this view. Eavesdropper is aware that there are agencies saddled with the responsibility of ensuring adherence to building codes and regulations. It’s glaring that once a building starts and the Nigerian factor creeps in, everyone will go to sleep. The only time there is an outcry is when there is a building collapse and once the noise over it dies, the normal resumes. It’s sickening and totally unacceptable. But unlike in the past, this recent incident should be enough to rouse everyone to action. The deaths are too many and from the look of things, the incident is avoidable considering the narrations about it. Many people seeking daily bread died brutally and it’s even more painful to think that some individuals were supposed to ensure that the building obeyed the regulation. Eavesdropper wonders why Nigerians don’t learn from history but would rather allow it to repeat itself. From the Ita Faaji, Synagogue Church of All Nations to the Lekki Gardens incidents, a lot ought to have been learnt. But as things went, it is safe to say that nothing was learnt. That is exactly what has happened and for once, those in charge of building control and regulation in the affected state and other states should do their job. Honestly, if some people have done their job diligently, the lives of those lost would have been saved. Those who left their homes to go for work, who felt that it was only to work and not die would have been salvaged; even the lives of those who came only on visitation.
The deaths are painful to say the least. Imagine the trauma of families who witnessed their loved ones leaving home for work only to be told a few hours later that they died at work. Eavesdropper commiserates with several families whose loved ones died in the incident. Eavesdropper hopes that they find the succour to get over the huge loss quickly. Other states in the country should take a cue and get things done. Across the states, the issue of building collapse is commonplace. They are as routine as they are nauseating with no tangible efforts to nip them in the bud. The recent incident should be a wake-up call to many of the states to put everything in order to ensure that there is no repeat anywhere. There is no reason that is tenable for building collapse in Nigeria. Those charged with the responsibility of ensuring safety in the built sector have to take their job seriously. The public also needs to try as much as possible to report findings to the relevant authorities to expose dubious builders trying hard to bypass the law and endanger lives of people. Those found culpable either in the recent incident or past ones across the states should be made to face the music. It will be great that whoever is indicted in the national tragedy, no matter how highly placed, is subjected to the law of the land. When people are given certain responsibilities to carry out, no excuse is tenable once they refuse to carry it out. This is the position that should be maintained so that such incidents can be curbed and the cases of building collapse will be a thing of the past in the country.
Boro boro nation
Una no dey taya? It’s funny how the nation is now placed on life support of borrowing when in actual fact it can move to the mountain top only if some fresh ideas are injected into governance. But that one is a tall order; it’s like asking a glutton to go fasting. You must have heard of the boro boro mentality; the fad of borrowing binge without a commensurate approach to inject it into things that will have direct impact on the people. Eavesdropper knows that there is nothing wrong in borrowing, especially when it’s for far-reaching projects capable of reviving the moribund economy. But when the boro boro is amid revenue leakages that should have been blocked to save for rainy days, Eavesdropper knows that such amounts to an outright lazy approach to governance. There are many countries that can go cap in hand to other countries. But they decided to look inwards and diversify their economies to be at par with other nations. Come to think of it, does one borrow for sustenance? There is certainly a limit to what a creditor can accommodate including the threshold! Emura si.
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