By Peter Amine
The Ike Odoeme Foundation, on Wednesday in Jos, the Plateau State capital organised a walk to create awareness on the importance of school building integrity.
The walk was from Old Airport Junction to Secretariat Junction in the metropolis.
The move was aimed at stressing the need for the school owners and other stakeholders in providing safe learning spaces for children.
Speaking at the event, the Foundation’s Projects Officer, Suzie Agas, said the procession was to advocate for improved policies and investments in school infrastructure for the safety of school children.
Agas said that the Foundation launched the campaign, following the collapse of a two-storey school building in Jos, which tragically resulted in the loss of 24 children’s lives.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a two-storey building at the the Saints Academy School located in Busa Buji in Jos North Local Government Area collapsed on July 12, where 24 lives were lost and 132 injured.
She said concerted efforts were required in advocating for safe spaces for children, which was why the walk was in partnership with key stakeholders in the education sector.
“Education is fundamental and the basic rights of every child in Nigeria, yet school children are unsafe with dilapidated, and overcrowded learning environments,” she said.
Agas said the school building collapse in Jos could have be averted, if periodic integrity tests were conducted on school buildings, and professionals engaged in construction works.
According to her, the walk is also to enlighten and encourage stakeholders on playing active roles to address threats to the well-being of school children.
“We are part of governance, and we are here to play our part in holding relevant stakeholders accountable for that occurrence.
“It is also to ensure that the unfortunate incident does not occur again.
“The procession is to create awareness that everybody can take part in governance. If you see something wrong, you speak up,” She said.
NAN reports that the foundation visited some victims of the school building collapse in hospitals on Monday, and made some donations to them.
She said that the foundation was planning to render more assistance to the families of the victims , particularly those, who were in critical state in the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
She commended the Plateau Government for inaugurating a 10-man committee to look into the underlying causes of the building collapse.
Mrs Salome Pam, a civil engineer, who spoke at the event, described the school tragedy as an avoidable one, saying it would have not happened, if professionals in the building industry were engaged in the construction of the school.
She advised parents to pay attention to their children, as reports indicated that many complaints were made by the children, after their observations of the school building before its eventual collapse.
“When we visited as the Nigerian Society of Engineers, we noticed numerous structural issues. The foundation of this school is not appropriate for the soil type in this area, nor is it suitable for a two-story building.
“When professionals are involved, there are specific criteria and specifications that must be adhered to.
“We urge agencies to go beyond merely approving projects to ensure that, at every stage of critical structural elements, there should be provisions for inspections.
“In Nigeria, we often see clients disregarding approved plans to cut costs, leading to tragedies. If we continue this way, we will continue to face avoidable deaths and injuries,” she said.
She called on the public and the Ministry of Education to ensure that integrity tests were carried out on schools before they were licensed.
On her part, Mrs Sarah Dalut, the Chairperson of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), emphasised the value of every life and encouraged people to be their neighbour’s keeper.
“Whenever you see any hazards, please speak out because our children are our future. And when the lives of children are cut short, then there is no future ahead of us,” she advised.
NAN reports that children were also part of the procession to express their concerns.