FROM THE RUBBLE WE WILL RISE

On the 12th of April 2023 around 3 pm, a seven-story building collapsed on First Avenue, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos state. At the time, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed that people were trapped under the rubble and noted that its officials were mobilizing a quick response team to rescue them.

The Government and Mukaila Sanusi (Deputy Director of Public Affairs- Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development), said “Few who sustained injuries are being treated. There is no fatality. This unfortunate incident happened while casting was being done”

While we breathe in the air of relief of the news of no fatalities, I’ll tell you what I found fascinating about this news, ’the public reaction’.

Social media platforms were buzzing with mixed reactions and prayers, but something was missing; SURPRISE, surprise was missing. No one seemed surprised by the news, it felt like ‘just another day in Lagos state’.

Of course, my mind refused to be comforted by this attitude and refused to credit it to the persevering nature of Nigerians. It is more sustainable to tackle the foundational issues present (quite literally in this case). Let’s take a minute to dissect the needed facts.

MATTER ARISING

1.??????Why do buildings keep collapsing?

The Building Collapse Prevention Guild in Nigeria says Lagos State has recorded 115 building collapses in the last 10 years. Lagos is a populated region of Nigeria and this has led to increased housing needs and increased exclusive demands, especially in the high-brow areas. This is an expected, normal experience. However, it has grown to be overwhelmingly uncontrolled, as buildings are being developed in irregular places with wrongly planned structures. Mrs. Jumoke Adenowo (over 3 decades experienced Architect) talked about the shared faults of clients, contractors, and government bodies via her Instagram page.

Hence, I believe buildings keep collapsing because of people involved are not playing their parts probably.

2.??????Both sides

Due to the physical and social exclusive needs of individuals, owning building(s) has become a vitality, however, some people become overwhelmed by the expenses and begin to ensure deliberate cuts in cost leading to a compromise in the building structure. So, they have a pictured dream building and force it to fit into their budget.

On the other hand, due to the ‘hustle culture,’ the contractors may lend required advice as to the consequences of decisions like this, but possibly still go ahead with the client’s demands, hence, the client becomes the structural advisor. In other cases, the contractors independently make such decisions due to greed and compromise or lack of professionalism.

3.??????The Government

Of course, the Government and associated agencies have huge parts to play in these situations. They mostly seem distracted or focused on other things, so there is a sense of disproportionate priorities. The public especially via social media suddenly seems more concerned about these issues. As usual, measures have been taken to curtail the issues, building constructions have been halted, people are being investigated and the Lagos State Building Control Agency is currently assessing the approval of buildings. All of these are great, but the cycle of issue is that these efforts tend to last for only a few weeks or months and everything quietly goes back to normal (Nigeria-normal).

4.??????On the basis of value systems

At the end of the day, the sources of the lengths and depths of this issue are based on a failing value system. Missing integrity, principles, adequacy, and honesty.

STEPS TO TAKE

1. Duties: Simply put, if everyone can carry out their duties, without compromise, and wrong values, records of collapsed buildings will decrease.
2. The public and first aid: The public should be first aid knowledge ready. Knowledge of first aid is never a waste. Thankfully emergency response was more adequate for this incident, which is likely connected to the highbrow nature of the region.
3. Psychological first aid: Having a building collapse on top of you is no small experience, it could lead to extreme shock, unawareness, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is why the knowledge of psychological first aid can help you aid a victim retain his/her sanity in the midst of and after the chaos.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID

Psychological first aid is about helping people understand and begin to cope with their distress during and immediately after a distressing event/crisis. By beginning to help someone cope, you can help them begin a healthy recovery process sooner

UNICEF Armenia says “When providing psychological first aid, you should keep in mind three action principles: look, listen, link.”

We would explore this and much more in MAYA’s next edition: 18th April 2023

PS. I may be ready to publish MAYA editions weekly soon, yippee!!!