A 13-year-old girl died and four other individuals, reportedly siblings and parents of the deceased, were injured when an old building collapsed in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The incident occurred around 2 am, and other occupants of the building immediately relocated after the collapse.
Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji visited the site and described the incident as devastating, urging occupants of dilapidated buildings to relocate to safeguard their lives.
“I offer my condolences to the victims’ relatives and supporters. While it is true that we are all going through a difficult moment, we must take a few lessons from it and take steps to protect our lives by choosing our homes carefully.
Oyebanji stated that the government would pay for the victims’ medical expenses while touring Adeyinka Adebayo General Hospital in Iyin Ekiti, where some of the victims were receiving Medicare.
The governor announced that he had given Dr. Oyebanji Filani, the Commissioner for Health, instructions to supervise the victims’ medical care and make sure they received the best care possible to expedite their complete recovery.
Additionally, The governor promised to cover the medical bills of the injured victims and directed the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency to arrange alternative housing for the affected family.
Oyebanji added that the Ministry of Physical and Urban Planning would start enforcing laws that would force people living in dangerously uninhabitable buildings throughout the state to leave in order to prevent such an incident from happening in the future.
“Our people should comply while trying to apply these laws; it is for their benefit, which is to ensure safety and preventable loss of our precious lives,” he stated. “We have enough regulations and extant laws that guide buildings in Ekiti.”
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