10- Year-Old Dies After Classroom Roof Fell On Pupils, Teachers

A 10 year old Primary five pupil, Fibian Lawal died on the spot while
some of her classmates and their teacher sustained injuries after the
roof of their classroom at the Local Government Primary School
Ajeregun in Ogun state crashed down on them when it started raining
heavily on Monday March 9th.Investigations by Punch revealed that the
school building where this unfortunate incident happened was built in
1955 when the school was established. A newly constructed building was
by the side of the old school building which was not in use. According
to the teachers in the school, they were not making use of the new
building even though it was completed in 2014 because it had not been
commissioned by the state government.

One of the pupil of the school, Adijat Ohize, while giving an account
of what happened said "We had finished school but we were all waiting
for lesson when it began to rain. The other teachers left the school
and their pupils, but our aunty did not leave. The rain was blowing
into the classroom and our aunty said we should all run to a private
school beside our school. I ran and got there, but as Fibian stepped
out of the class, her shoes got stuck in the mud on the ground. She
started struggling to get out."she saidFibian's younger brother, Okiki
also explained what happened "When the teacher asked us to go to the
private school because of the rain, I first ran under a mango tree. I
saw my sister struggling and I went to help her, but the roof fell on
her. My hand was injured. I started shouting her name, but she did not
answer me.".

The mother of the deceased little girl, Mrs Olushola Lawal, said
Fabian was the hope of her family as she was a very intelligent girl
who was a good writer. She said he had given her and Okiki N1,200 on
the day of the incident as the family's contribution for a new teacher
employed by the school.

"It was her younger brother, Okiki, that cried home and said Kemi
(Fibian) had died after the roof fell on her. I couldn't believe it
and people kept deceiving me that she was in the hospital. She was a
good writer and could draw anything perfectly. She would just ask you
to sit and she would draw you. She had a note for drawing. She always
said she would take care of me when she grew older. I wish I had died
in her place."

When contacted and asked why the pupils were not making use of the
newly constructed school building, the state Commissioner for
Education Science and Technology, John Odubela said there were
procedures to be followed before the handing over of such new
classrooms.

"The new building was recently completed and there is a procedure to
be followed when a building is completed. The contractor will have to
file notice, among other things. As we speak now, they have opened the
new one for the pupils to use. Government officials from the local
government area and the State Universal Basic Education Board have
visited the family; they were at the girl's burial. The head teacher
of the school did not inform us on time"he said.

Meanwhile the little girl has since been buried.
--PUNCH