Survivors of tragic incident which could have claimed lives go through certain trauma, while some are able to survive it and move on, many others suffer some sorts of psychological disorders and they live with it for the rest of their lives.
The determinant of the aftermath of the victims depend on the support they are able to access after the incident. In the case of the Lagos School building collapse at Ita-Faaji, Lagos Island (which occurred on March 13th) and other buildings that were demolished after the incident, the Lagos State government accommodated survivors and victims of the demolished buildings at the Lagos State Resettlement and Relief center at Igando, Alimosho Local Government.
The victims are housed at the relief camp for three months and thereafter allowed to leave the camp and continue with their normal lives. While many residents at the camp have felt so relaxed and comfortable, some are still bittered about their loses.
Bolanle Mayegun, whose house was demolished after the school building collapse at Ita Faaji has been a resident of the resettlement centre located in Igando, is grateful to the Lagos State government for the support given to them while residing on the camp.
Mayegun while giving her account explained that the resettlement centre has provided succour to victims of collapsed and demolished buildings so far. She explained that, “we eat free food thrice on a daily basis, we don’t have to go to miles away to get pipe born water and there’s a common room where we watch TV. This place is actually so conducive for us.”
Mayegun who had lost her source of livelihood to the building collapse said she stays indoor on a daily basis while her children are being conveyed to their school with a free school bus on a daily basis. She butressed that, “I don’t have any work currently, I was selling wares close to the house before the incident occurred and I’ve lost everything. Once in a while if I want to go to Eko market, I would join the free bus that usually takes workers to their offices and our children to school.”
Speaking about the worries of what the future holds after the three months duration expires, Mayegun said, “I only wish this would continue but it’s only a wish, we all have to go and I’m not sure we would be here for three months. I only hope that the government would give us the support that would be enough for us to survive with.”
Kolade Akande, a resident of a demolished building at Apa Tira, Lagos Island explained that “I didn’t move to the resettlement centre when the incident happened at first because most people didn’t believe it’s true but when I came here, my expectations were exceeded.
Akande noted that he has not lost anything in his stay at the camp because of the availability of free bus from Mondays to Fridays which convey workers and students from the relief camp to their offices and schools on the Island. He added that Traders who have shops and required to go on weekends do that on their own because there’s no provision for that.
For Akande, he hopes to get a better accommodation with the support he receives from the Lagos State Government at the close of the camp, and according to him, “life goes on”.
Modinat Lawal, whose husband died during the school building collapsed expressed her grief and how she has lost everything in the incident. She’s hoping that the financial aid from the government would be sufficient to survive with after leaving the resettlement centre.
Mr Rahman Olayiwola who lost his wife to the incident lamented how he has lost everything valuable to him. He explained that, “I worked at a public toilet faciltity just behind the school building and I sell cassette just by the shop, there’s typically nothing to survive with after leaving the camp. However, I’m trusting that the government would give us adequate support.”
During the visit to the resettlement camp, the General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu was available with other officials to screen residents at the camp and to ensure the support to be given would be strictly for victims of the collapsed and demolished buildings.
The Lagos State government under the leadership of Governor Akinwumi Ambode has taken tremendous efforts to cater for the welfare of these survivors to ensure they are reintegrated back to the society in good and stable health. However, it is imperative that before the close of the resettlement camp, adequate provision is made to ensure their continuous survival.
The support, in whatever capacity, should be able to sustain the beneficiaries, and it is hoped that the change in administration won’t truncate their expectations.