The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, has urged Nigerians to strictly follow the country’s building codes to prevent frequent building collapses and their associated disasters.
Umar made this statement during her visit to the site of the Saint Academy building collapse and some of the hospitalized victims in Jos on Sunday.
During her visit, she also met with Governor Caleb Mutfwang. The collapse, which occurred on Friday morning, resulted in the deaths of 22 students and injured at least 154 others.
“This is totally avoidable, and it is a huge lesson for us that we need to get all the developers to adhere strictly to the building codes.
“Rather than being reactive, we need to be proactive, to avoid this sad situation and we need the synergy of states to achieve this.
“I am here to commiserate with the Plateau people over the man-made disaster that claimed the lives of many young ones and injured others.
“I want to commend my men and other stakeholders in disaster management as well as the community for their prompt response.
“What I realised is that they were paying attention and taking instructions to ensure that they saved lives,” she stated.
Umar expressed her satisfaction with the collaboration between NEMA and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in managing the disaster.
Governor Mutfwang, in his remarks, described the incident on Friday as a challenge for the state.
He mentioned that when he assumed office, SEMA was inactive, and its importance was not fully appreciated. However, the organization has now proven its value.
“We are proceeding to make sure that SEMA becomes as active as it should be.
“We were hitherto toying with the idea of having an ambulance bay but it has become an absolute necessity now, in view of what we saw on Friday.
“We, therefore, count on your assistance in any way you can to reach out to international organisations that can be of assistance in this regard,” he said.
Mutfwang also announced that his administration would extend emergency management efforts to local governments to ensure all areas are well-prepared.
“We are starting to deal with another form of disaster, which is flood. Even a portion of the Government House fence collapsed.
“If it happened here, which is the most organised part of the town, we may be waiting for more disasters,” he said.
The governor expressed gratitude to NEMA for its nationalistic approach to disaster management, highlighting the importance of cooperation between the Federal Government and states.
