Students of Ayegba Primary School, Idah, were lucky to record no causality as overhead tank within the school premises collapsed with its full content during school hours.
The after-break bell just rang and children were just leaving the water area. Three other children were still at the tap when the tank base and the pillars succumbed to weight pressure.
According to the account of Dr. Ottah Gabriel Alhassan, “All of us around Ayegba Primary School in Ubomu heard the sound of the fall like one terrorist explosion. I ran to the scene… other people had gathered before me.
“The three children were lucky not to have been under the tank, otherwise, we would have been singing songs of sorrow. But they had their share of proximity dividends as the water that gushed out of the tank with the fall swallowed them a couple of seconds before spreading to the sheets.
“The children had gulped plenty of water, though stable. The school management, in appreciation to God for the safety of the children, swiftly dismissed the children for the day.
“This is the second time the tank is falling. When it did last year, children were not in school. It is a typical example of bad work that characterises Nigeria contract execution. Authorities concerned should dig into who did the work, the quality of materials used and the durability guarantee of such materials.
Credit: Ottah Gabriel Alhassan
