Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State on Saturday visited Saint Academy in Jos which school building collapsed on students writing examination on Friday, July 12.
Mutfwang during the visit extended his condolences to families affected by the incident and declared a three – day mourning period in honour of the 22 pupils and teachers that died in the incident.
The Plateau State government had earlier declared 22 lives were lost and 132 others sustained injuries in the incident that occurred in the school located at Busa Buji, Jos North Local Government Area of the state.
The state government also ordered that all flags within the state be flown at half-mast during the three-day mourning, starting from today, July 13 to July 15 in honour of the victims.
This was made known in a statement signed by the Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, on Saturday.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who visited the school on Saturday, extended his condolences to families affected by the incident.
He urged citizens to strictly follow building codes and ethics to prevent such tragedies.
“We offer our deepest sympathies and unwavering support to those affected during this incredibly difficult time.
“We are dedicated to providing the best possible medical care for the injured and will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.
“The safety and well-being of our citizens, especially our children, is our top priority.
“We urge all schools to comply with safety regulations and secure the necessary approvals from the JMDB before beginning any construction projects.”
Muftwang has also announced immediate closure of Saint Academy School and ordered full investigation into the building collapse.
“It is unfortunate what has happened but of course what it means is that this school is closed down immediately.
“We can’t take any further chances and we need to send this message particularly to owners of private schools.
“The motive for profit must not overshadow the safety of lives.
“And so we are going to take steps immediately to do a technical audit of all the schools, we are going to test their structural integrity to ensure that human beings can inhabit such buildings,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 81 victims of the school building collapse in Jos, have been discharged from the various hospitals they were admitted to.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Saints Academy, a secondary and primary school in Jos, collapsed on Friday, while students were writing their third term examination.
Dr Abel Izang, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), of Plateau Specialist Hospital, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Jos.
Izang said that out of the 39 patients hospitalised on Friday, 23 had been discharged, while two were referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), due to spinal injuries.
Izang further said that the five patients who were still on admission, were in a stable condition.
Similarly, Prof. Steve Anzaku, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, said that out of the 55 hospitalised, 23 were discharged and those on admission were in a stable condition .
Mrs Chioma Ofodille, the Public Relations Officer of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) Hospital, said 23 out of the 32 patients brought to the facility, had been discharged, while the remaining nine were also from the in stable condition.
Dr Josiah Njem, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), told NAN that the six victims of the collapsed building, hospitalised in the hospital with various injuries were in stable condition.
NAN reports that no further casualty had been recorded from the four hospitals that treated the victims.
Mr Musa Ashoms, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, on Friday confirmed that 154 people were brought out of the debris of the collapsed building.
Sadly, 22 were confirmed dead by Ashoms, who also disclosed that six were in critical condition.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
