Jos School Building Collapse: HURIWA Endorses Gov. Mutfwang’s Actions

Jos School Building Collapse: HURIWA Endorses Gov. Mutfwang’s Actions

… Advocates integrity tests of school buildings in Nigeria;

Civil Rights Advocacy Group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has expressed profound worry at the massive deaths of school children at the Saint Academy in Busa Buji, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau state just as it has fully endorsed the measure adopted by governor Caleb Mutfwang to safeguard the lives of the citizens of the state as a result of the aftermath of the unfortunate incident.

HURIWA recalled that Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State on Saturday ordered the immediate closure of Saint Academy, Busa Buji, in Jos North LGA of the state even as the governor also ordered the arrest of artisanal miners mining around residential areas in the state.

HURIWA recalled that on Friday, a two-storey building collapsed in the Saint Academy in Busa Buji, claiming the lives of over 20 people, among them students and teachers, while leaving several others with various degrees of injuries.

The Rights group recalled that the State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, had confirmed the death of 22 people and 132 rescued, among whom are receiving treatment in some tertiary health facilities in the state capital.

HURIWA also praised the swift intervention of first responders that immediately secured the environment and carried out rescue mission that saved many lives even as scores died as a result of the impacts of the collapsing buildings in the school.

“We extend out condolences to the families of the children who lost their precious lives and those who got injured. We urged the government to provide immediate succor and compensation to these bereaved families.

We suggest that the entire structures of Saint Academy be demolished to stop them from giving way like the other segment of the structures. We also propose that the government of Plateau state should proceed with effecting measures to remove buildings standing on waterways or that constitute environmental dislocation which endangers the lives of the good people of Plateau State.”

In a media statement, the National coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko stated that the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA totally supports the measures the Plateau State governor took just as the Rights group said it was a decisive justice that the Plateau State Governor gave the order while visiting the scene of the incident.

The Governor said thus: “I’m ordering the closure of Saint Academy with immediate effect.

“And I’m also ordering security agencies to arrest any artisanal miners mining in residential areas across the state.”

While commiserating with the families of the victims of the incident, the governor promised that the government will bear the cost of the treatment of those injured.

HURIWA has also advocated the conduct of a nationwide engineering and integrity tests of school buildings so as to forestall any future occurrence of a similar avoidable man-made disaster that occurred in Plateau state.

The Rights group has charged the federal ministries of Housing and Education in partnership with the states ministries of Housing, Works and Education to undertake detailed engineering and development integrity exercises to ascertain the quality, durability and safety of school infrastructures in the Country.

HURIWA has also asked the federal and state governments to ban the activities of mining of mineral resources and blasting of rocks very close to residential and school environments to stop those buildings from collapsing.

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