A one-storey school building located in the Agbado area of the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State collapsed on Saturday after heavy rainfall was recorded in the area.
Our correspondent gathered that the block of 10 classrooms belonged to the Agbado District Comprehensive High School.
The building collapsed after the heavy rainfall which also damaged some roads in the area.
Our correspondent gathered that the building was one of the constituency projects of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello while she was representing Ogun Central Senatorial District between 2007 and 2011.
A source in the area said the building was never put to use by the state government.
A resident of the community, Kolawole Adelani, who spoke to journalists on Sunday, said the building, before its collapse, had posed a serious threat to the lives of the pupils and staff members of the school.
He said, “The building has stood there for more than 15 years, plagued with structural issues.
“Everyone feared that such a tragedy was imminent. Thankfully, no life was lost.”
The President of the Agbado District Old Students’ Association, Ganiyu Olowu, regretted the development.
He said the association had repeatedly alerted the state Ministry of Education about the deteriorating condition of the building and the potential danger it posed.
“We drew the attention of the former commissioner to the alarming state of the building. We were assured that a team would be sent to inspect the site.
“While they did visit, no action had been taken on this massive classroom project initiated by Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello many years ago. As we speak, there are parts of the collapsed building that can cause more havoc when students are around,” he added.
He also lamented the state of infrastructure within the school premises, saying “Many infrastructures in the school have deteriorated to an appalling level, reflecting a system plagued by negligence and a lack of prioritisation of students’ safety and welfare.”
Attempts to get the state government’s reaction through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Abayomi Arigbabu, failed as of the time of filing this report.
When contacted on the telephone, Arigbabu rejected the call and quickly sent a message saying he was busy.
A message was sent to his mobile phone asking for his reaction but he had yet to respond as of the time of filing this report.
