Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, has promised to assist survivors of the Saint Academy Jos school building collapse to recover from the tragedy and pick up their lives.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 22 people died in the July 12 tragedy, while 154 others were injured.
Tinubu made the promise in Jos on Friday, during a visit to the site of the building collapse and the hospitals where the injured victims were recuperating.
The president’s son, who was represented by Belusochukwu Enwere, National Chairman, Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), said that the visit was to ascertain what actually happened.
He said that he was deeply saddened by the tragedy that cut short the lives of many young people.
“I am here to convey a message of hope to all those injured, wishing them quick recovery so they can return to classes and pursue their dreams. We pray for the souls of those who died to rest in peace.
“I am here to see what is happening first-hand and to report back to him. We aim to render assistance to the students.
“We will do everything possible to ensure that the injured receive proper care and return to school.
“This is sacrosanct because the situation involves the lives of students, youths, and our future, the future of our children, and our country,” he said.
“I discussed this with the hospital management, and they mentioned unpaid bills, and we will ensure these bills are taken care of so the students can be discharged without any issues,” he said.
He advised builders to follow due process and adhere to specified building standards to avoid such mishaps in the future.
Tinubu called on the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Institute of Building to enforce strict measures and sanctions on those constructing schools, hospitals, or residential buildings without adherence to standards.
According to him, it will help prevent such tragic incidents in the future.
Speaking, Plateau Chairman of YOWICAN, Panmak Lere, expressed excitement that help was coming the way of the victims.
“We have also listened to the hospital management. Some bills from the Yelwa Zangam attacks during the last administration are still unpaid.
“We made commitments to the management to follow up on these issues. I am confident that the current administration will ensure the debts from the previous administration are settled,” he added.
Rev. Sister Jovita Egwu, Administrator, Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) Hospital, Jos, said that when the incident occurred, five were brought in dead, six were treated at the outpatient department, and they were discharged the same day.
Egwu stated that a total of 22 victims were hospitalised, adding that all those who were brought in alive were still recuperating.
“The state government has announced that they will take care of the treatment costs.
“We hope they will follow through on this because, during the Yelwa Zangam attack, up to today, about N2 million remains unpaid.
“When incidents like this happen, we still have the resources to manage, but we expect the promised payments to be made.
“As we speak, we have not received support from the government. We hope they will act on their promise, as this is an emergency. Supplies should be sent immediately so we can use them right away.
“If we have to wait for another month before receiving payments, it becomes very difficult, especially if we don’t have the necessary resources at hand,” she stated.