Mr. Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, has pledged his commitment to assisting the survivors of the tragic Saint Academy Jos school building collapse in recovering and rebuilding their lives. The collapse, which occurred on July 12th, resulted in the loss of 22 lives and left 154 others injured.
During a visit to the site of the collapse and the hospitals where the injured victims are receiving treatment in Jos on Friday, Tinubu, represented by Mr. Belusochukwu Enwere, National Chairman of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), expressed his promise to provide support.
He stated “Our students were trapped in the building, and Barr. Tinubu asked me to come and ascertain what is happening. We aim to provide assistance to the students and convey a message of hope to the injured, wishing them a swift recovery so they can return to their studies and pursue their dreams.This is sacrosanct because the situation involves the lives of students, youths, and the future of our children and our country.”
Regarding concerns from the hospital about unpaid bills, Enwere assured, “We have discussed the situation with hospital management, who mentioned unpaid bills. We will ensure these bills are settled so that students can be discharged without issues.”
Additionally,Enwere stressed the need for strict adherence to building regulations to prevent future tragedies. He urged the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Institute of Building to enforce strict measures and sanctions on those who do not follow proper building standards.
Furthermore, Barrister Panmak Mark Lere, YOWICAN Chairman for Plateau State, expressed appreciation for the visit and the help extended to the victims. “We have inspected the situation and are relieved that help is on the way.
“Also, we have listened to the hospital management regarding unpaid bills from the Yelwa Zangam attacks during the last administration. We made commitments to follow up on these issues. The current administration, led by Governor Manasseh Caleb Mutfwang, is supportive, and I am confident that these debts will be resolved.”He noted.
Earlier, Rev . Sister Jovita Egwu, administrator of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) Hospital, provided updates on the medical treatment of the victims. She mentioned that while the state government had announced plans to cover medical costs, there were still outstanding bills from previous incidents.
“The state government has announced that they will take care of the medical treatment costs. We hope they will follow through on this. During the Yelwa Zangam attack, up to today, about 2 million Naira 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 received no support from the government. We hope they will act on their promise, as this is an emergency.” She said.