The murderers of Calabar

Last week our country lost another set of citizens, and as usual, they were needless deaths. That’s why I think their deaths should be classified as murders with perpetrators consequently brought to book giving a fitting closure to their senseless exits.

While others worldwide enjoyed the football match between Manchester United and Anderlecht on Thursday, April 20, some who gathered at a ‘viewing centre’ in Nyahasang, Calabar, the Cross River State capital, died when a feeder snapped and fell on houses under the high tension cables. Viewing centre so-called is a public place where Nigerians congregate to watch football games especially the English premiership games and the popular UEFA organised ones paying between N50 and N100. The deaths again put Nigeria’s name to shame attracting commiseration messages from Manchester United and FIFA, the body overseeing football globally. After the cables cut, initially leading to an outage, the centre operator decided to switch on the generator and in the process, power was restored which resulted in the electrocution of some of the viewers.

Typical of us, there was initial confusion on the number of casualties just as initial media reports claimed that all were United fans. Sifting through a lot of reports of the disaster, one got a sense of either crass journalism or attempts by state officials at covering up how many really died. By weekend, it became clearer that at least eight people have died and over 21 critically injured receiving treatment at the Calabar university teaching hospital. Fortunately this time around, our president issued a statement the next day sympathizing with the bereaved families and the Cross River State government. However, there was no mention of either investigation of why we lost those citizens or what we can do to prevent a re-occurrence. The state’s deputy governor made the usual vacuous promise our officials are noted for: we shall investigate what happened. Again, no word of possible prosecution.

This column has said it repeatedly that one could be accused of over elaboration: we are not bothered about citizens’ lives in this part of the world. Let’s check a chronicle of such deaths: nearly three years ago, 115 people perished when a building collapsed at The Synagogue Church of All Nations and after a coroner’s inquest, the wheels of justice is turning slowly as the case winds it was through the courts. This is what I wrote shortly after the incident https://www.thecable.ng/the-tragedy-at-the-synagogue A little over a year ago, 30 people died when a five-storey building collapsed on Kushenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, Lagos. Fortunately, the Lagos State government is prosecuting the firm which built the building, Lekki Gardens; its managing director, and eight others in a six-count criminal charge.

Closer home to the Calabar tragedy is Reigners’ Bible Church, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where an auditorium collapsed December 10 last year killing 200 worshippers on dedication day. In attendance that day was the state’s governor and the usual crowd of hangers on who usually follow our political leaders around. A commission of inquiry set up by the state government later discovered that there was no approved building plan for the auditorium built on a conservation site in the city’s master plan, just as it had 58 trusses in its design but the collapsed building had eight trusses.  It is possible I missed it, but nothing has come out of the inquiry as far as I could tell. With the state governor involved, it’s doubtful if anybody will be prosecuted for those deaths.

What compounded the viewing centre catastrophe according to an eyewitness was the fact there was only one door serving as both exit and entrance. That design flaw compounded the horror of building under high-tension cables, a common occurrence in our country. So when power was restored, viewers could not scamper out immediately because the door could not take all of them. Take a proper look the next time you are in a public building, how many have exits clearly marked? How many exits can you see? When last did you enter a building and see the maximum capacity boldly displayed as done in other countries? Remember that it was in Nigeria that football fans climbed floodlight and scoreboard to watch a game between Nigeria and Egypt in Kaduna last year? Thankfully, no life was lost but it earned us a fine from CAF. Again, no official was sanctioned or punished for that indiscretion.

But what do we say about a group led by a former senator who visited the scene of the disaster a day after? After laying a wreath, a commendable action, the group promised to build a better viewing centre for the area so that young people can watch matches in better conditions. So, we trudge on pretending as if nothing happened and the families bury their loved ones. Just the way we are.