A tragedy was averted at the weekend in Ijero-Ekiti, headquarters of the Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, following the collapse of an event centre during a ceremony in the community.

The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the popular building that was hosting a burial reception on Saturday had a section of it collapse on guests, resulting in life-threatening injuries.

The building located along Ijero-Ekiti-Ido-Ekiti road had about 250 guests when its roof and walls receded around 4 p.m., which led to many sustaining bodily wounds as victims scampered out of the rubbles for safety.

The lawmaker representing the Ijero state constituency, Ademola Ojo, who said no life was lost in the incident, said it took the quick intervention of spirited individuals to rescue victims from the rubble to avert fatalities.

Relaying a vivid account of how the incident happened, the lawmaker said, “A reception exercise for a burial ceremony was ongoing when there was a deep crack in the wall.

Suddenly, the roofing and Plaster of Paris (POP) caved in and fell on those who were seated inside the auditorium.

“This caused a stampede. Many were wounded in the process, while some occupants sustained serious bodily injuries and were rescued from the rubbles in record time.”

Meanwhile, the state deputy governor, Chief Monisade Afuye, has visited the collapsed building and victims at the Ijero General Hospital and grieved over the incident, saying she personally deemed the accident very disturbing and saddening.

She explained that the governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has directed all the agencies of government to ensure that all public buildings of that nature are supervised and certified at every stage to avoid unwarranted fatalities.

The deputy governor said the incident could have been averted if proper building scrutiny and compliance with specifications were carried out by government agencies, warning that situations like that shouldn’t be allowed to reoccur in the state.

She assured the people that his government would map out strategies to make Emergency Management Equipment available in all the local governments to respond to any alarming situation.

According to her, “I know that if the building had been thoroughly supervised and certified fit at every stage of the erection, this incident could have been averted.

“It is just normal and procedural that all public buildings be monitored and that they are built to specifications and with standard materials used because the common feature associated with building collapse now is for contractors to use substandard products.

“We thank God that no life was lost. But as a responsible government, we won’t wait until people die before taking actions that can safeguard their lives.

That is why it is most expedient that all government agencies be responsive to their duties all the time.” (Sunday Tribune)

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